Family Relations1
by P.A.R
Summary: Sequel to 'Family Life'. What if Harry wasn't the one who could destroy Voldemort, but was the key to the person who could? Voldemort makes a new offer to Harry and Arabella. Final chapter.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: You'll notice I missed last week. I did promise to start the first of June, but we had an unexpected death in the family.

You see, my family's pet parrot died Saturday of last week. This was a bit more than losing a pet you have for ten or fifteen years. This parrot was truly a member of the family. We had had her for nearly forty years. And she was every bit my father's parrot. She had totally bonded to him and he misses her a great deal. As do we all. I still have to stop myself when I make a salad for dinner and remind myself I no longer have to save the shredded carrots for her, which she loved. I still walk into my parent's house and expect her to be there in her cage. I still remind my Dad to save her some potatoes from dinner. I suppose in time we will get use to her not being with us, just as we got use to having her there every day.

Oddly enough, this will read much as the last posting of Chapter One did in the previews. But there are subtle differences. Like the answers at the end.

Also, if you want to learn a bit more about Hershel Bennett, folks, I direct you to said answers below. A lot of people were interested in him, so I gave you a bit more information on him down there.

A/N1: O.K.. A few things you need to know before the rest of the things you need to know.

(Pauses for a minute to allow everyone to digest that last statement.)

Now, for those of you who have read the preview chapters, my advice is 'to read them again'. There have been a few minor, but important., alterations.

Next, whereas I would like to hand you a nice, happy little lark of a read, I'm afraid that is not it. Family Relations is as convoluted as it's title suggests. How convoluted, you asked? Folks, it's taken me nearly three years to write this thing. You figure it out. You really need to read between the lines here. Trust me, there isn't one word in this thing that I didn't mean to put in here. And if it's there, it serves a purpose. So read carefully is my advice.

My next piece of advice, if you suspect something, but aren't sure, ask. I'll be more than happy to spell things out and draw pictures this time. Because it really is necessary.

A/N2: Folks, we need to talk.

A few things you need to know before starting this story. They're important...and slightly confusing.

One: Family Relations is the sequel to Family Life. If you haven't read that story, boy, are you gonna be one lost little reader.

Two: If you have read Family Life, you might still be lost. Why? Because I have to make some changes. Nothing drastic. Don't get upset. But they are important.

Change one: Do you remember back in Family Life, when they were all in the chamber in the lair of the Deatheaters? You remember when Harry cast the spell? Do you remember Analisa turning and saying something to Lupin? Good! Now, do me a favor? Forget that part. Small change. The person Analisa was talking to was Snape, not Lupin. (Trust me, it's real important.)

Change two: You remember in Fever I told you that story was in no way related to Family Life except in one small area? For those of you who forgot what that area was, here it is. In the end of Fever, Sirius changed Harry's name, making it now Harry James Potter Black. There was something else involved in the court papers. Remember that? Well, it figures in with this story in a rather big way. (Telling you what right now would ruin the story, so if you forgot, go back and review.) So, the fact of the matter is, while Fever and Family Life aren't related, Family Relations does borrow that one concept from Fever.

Three: Remember, Q&A at the end of each chapter. Feel free to ask questions. Give P.A.R. something to read for a change. After all, I'm giving you something to read.

Four: Oh, and could you back up the time line a little for me? I know Family Life ended with the start of the school term like only a week away. But I need a little more time with this story. So could we back Family Life up a little further? How far? I haven't an exact date yet. But it'll figure into Family Life's changes. So just work with me, O.K.?

Good.

Thanks.

Also, speaking f time lines, for those of you who are interested, or simply want to be really confused, Runaway took place right before Family Relations by just a few weeks. Technically, Runaway was a sub-story of Family Life.

O.K., one more thing.

Yes! The first few chapters are short. Why? Well, folks, because P.A.R. learned a new word and you have only yourselves to blame for teaching it to me. (Someone mentioned it in a review.). That word is 'Cliffhanger'.

It's a fun little word, and a really great writing tool. (Let's face it, folks, it's the greatest marketing tool ever invented!).

So bare with P.A.R. while she has her little bit of fun.

Be good. Don't flame. And P.A.R. will make the chapters longer. Deal? O.K..

On with the story.

And as always;

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.****

FAMILY RELATIONS

Chapter One: Meetings

"All right then, Mr. Black. We just have a few more issues that need to be cleared up before we can finalize the adoption of your godson."

Sirius sat in the chair before the caseworker about as stiffly as anyone could, his hand wrapped in a tight grip over the head of his cane. He had lost count of the number of meetings, paper signings, and personal interviews he and Arabella had been through all to try and get to this point. And still they managed to find something to asked him. Of course, Sirius wasn't really that surprised. There was one issue left that they had been skirting about the whole time, but never asked any direct questions about.

All through the interview his leg had been throbbing to beats faster than his heart, and he was running desperately low on patience. Between Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore, they had done all they could for him. But the leg refused to mend properly. Dumbledore had summed it up to being an aftereffect of the extent of the damage done to the leg, and suggested helpfully that time would likely be the only healer now. It was a small comfort to Sirius, who lived with the pain n a daily basis now. But still he remained calm and silent, gripping the head of his cane tighter and reminded himself that this should be the last interview. After this, Harry would be his, and no one could take him away from him or Arabella after that.

Next to him, Arabella was literally on the edge of her chair. She had been the one who had always appeared the most eager each time they had come here. Wondering if each meeting would be the last. If they would finally be handed the adoption papers on that visit.

Sirius had sworn she probably had the whole presentation to Harry planned out. Flying down the hallway screaming for joy quickly came to mind as he envisioned the scene with a small smile. And he was pretty sure no one had better be between her and her godson on that day. The results could get messy.

"Now, Mr. Black...," The interviewer started.

Sirius' eyes narrowed slightly.

"There is a report we've come across that seems to indicate some sort of a criminal record?"

Sirius quickly produced several papers from his jacket. He had come well prepared for this.

"I was cleared of those charges." Sirius stated simply.

The woman looked over the official documents. When the ministry had finally accepted the parchment given to Harry by Peter Pettigrew as authentic, one of the restitutions they were required to give Sirius was a document stating he was cleared of all charges and was declared free. Of course, two separate documents were required. One signed by the officials of the wizarding community, and one by those of the muggle community, so both would recognize the paper as official. The papers from the wizarding law enforcement had been easy enough to obtain. But from the muggle police the Ministry had relied heavily on Sirius' brother, Orion, and his partner Charlie Misser to obtain the proper paper work, based mostly on their prior dealings within the muggle law enforcement agencies.

And a week of articles in the Daily Prophet and the muggle papers, as well as on the muggle news, didn't hurt either. Where had this woman been that week?

The woman behind the desk looked the paper over for a few minutes, which was followed by a few phone calls. She then made a quick copy of the documents before handing them back to Sirius.

"Well, Mr. Black." The woman behind the desk said pleasantly. "That was really the only matter that needed clearing up. But all seems in order in regards to it." She added with a smile. "So...,"

Arabella was barely still sitting on any chair at all as she leaned forward a bit more.

But just then the door to the office opened and a young man hurried in. He only favored the couple sitting before the desk with a brief glance before he hastily placed a note on the woman's desk in front of her, right on top of the adoption papers she was getting ready to sign.

The caseworker quickly read the note over. As she finished she turned to the man standing next to her, her expression somewhere between confused and irritated.

"They're sure about this?" She asked quietly.

The man nodded.

"They checked the claim?"

The man nodded.

"They're sure?" She emphasized this time.

The man nodded.

"What?" Arabella nearly shouted. She had been holding onto the edge of the woman's desk at this point. The tension had been building in her all through the interview. That horrible little feeling that she couldn't get rid of that something would go wrong and stop them from being able to adopt her godson.

The woman turned a stoic face back to the couple before her as the man quickly hurried out, closing the door behind him. The man's only brief acknowledgement of them, and then his hasty retreat from the office, did not leave Sirius with a good feeling about what was in that note.

"Mr. Black," the woman said calmly, folding her hands on her desk as she gave him a level stare, "I understood that you had custody of your godson."

Sirius' expression shifted ever so slightly to one of confusion. But the grip on his cane tightened enough to turn his knuckles white. "I do." Sirius replied, keeping his voice as even as he could under his growing apprehension. "I gave you the papers. You have your copies of them."

"Yes, sir." She replied, opening the folder on the desk in front of her again.

Laying on top of the folder was the unsigned adoption paper, already made out. Arabella stared fixatedly at it as she begged that this was just a small matter. A few more questions and she would have her son. Her family. Everything she had dreamed about for fourteen long years.

"Mr. Black," the caseworker stated as she closed the file, "I'm must tell you that that does not seem to be the case. And until the matter is resolved, we can't finalize the adoption. I'm sorry."

Arabella drew on every ounce of resolve within her not to break into tears. She felt as though her godson had been snatched right out of her arms along with her dreams. Next to her Sirius seemed lost in thought for a few seconds. But then, as though coming out of a slight trance-like state, his expression became very hard, and his voice utterly cold.

"What?"

"Someone else, Sir, has stepped forward claiming to have custody of the minor child, Harry James Potter Black."

Sirius was out of his chair, leaning hard on his cane for balance. "Who?"

The caseworker stared up at Sirius without so much as flinching.

"Orion Black."

****

Q&A

Enemies

Skahducky:

Ahhhhh...that's the question, Dear. Who was he talking about? Harry or Sirius? But that I leave up to you to figure out. However, a bit of advice. When we get past the first ten chapters, come back and re-read the first three. They'll read a lot differently after chapter ten, I promise.

Hershel was showing a rare bit of compassion there. Simply put, it's not his nature to be amiable or kind. He's a Dementor, for heaven's sake. They're not known to be agreeable. But he still has a small little ember of humanity in him, and he preserves it by showing, every once in a great while, he can still be compassionate...when it suits him. (Well, technically he's not a full Dementor, but your splitting hairs there.)

Hershel is not a trusting person. And in general, he dislikes and distrusts people. But Katlin was the first person in a long time who stood up for him. Who took his side and defended him against her own husband. This made a very deep impression on Hershel. Especially considering who Katlin's husband is. There is little love lost between Hershel Bennett and the Black family for reasons that come out in this story. Also, let's look at this from a point of view everyone seemed to miss. Hershel, for all he may be, is still a man. Katlin is a very beautiful woman and the wife of someone Hershel is not overly fond of. You work it out.

Done? Let me add that Hershel is no fool, nor is he out to break up any marriages. But he sees a great deal of potential in rattling someone's cage that he feels deserves it. Just a little clarification there.

Past that, Hershel sees in Katlin something he has not had in his life in a very long time. A willing friend.

What did Hershel mean when he said that Orion's family still feels they have control over him? Again, that is something that will come out in Family Relations. But know that the ties between Hershel Bennett and the Black family are long, deep, and very tense. Actually, I don't remember if I mentioned it in the story or not already; if not consider this a freebee of information. Back when Talon himself was an Auror, Hershel Bennett was his partner. Little something for you to work on.

Harry's a little confused about his thoughts on Katlin? Try a little confused about his feelings on Katlin. Teenage boy. Pretty woman paying attention to him. That's a whole lot of flattery going on there, folks. Now, don't get me wrong. Harry did not help Katlin escape hoping to get a date with her. But Katlin does tend to use her femininity to her advantage almost without thinking about it. She'll manipulate, coerce, lead, and spin herself about a man until he doesn't know which end is up. Unintentionally perhaps, she did a little of this to Harry, trying to get him to do what she ask without too many bothersome questions. And the poor boy didn't stand much of a chance against her.

Silverfox:

Well, currently I have no plans to send poor Bo to visit Azkaban. Maybe later. Keep in mind, should such an occasion arise, that it's not that Bo 'can't' go to Azkaban, he just doesn't 'want' to go there. Purely a matter of preference.

Hershel is indeed an interesting character. And a man with a great deal of depth. He arose out of a thought I had one day, what would a Dementor be like if it actually had a soul of its own to worry about? Hence, Hershel Bennett was born. He is a strikingly handsome man, has a great deal of intelligence, talent, and money. He is, in fact, every woman's dream of the perfect man. He just has one small little problem. He happens to be a Dementor. And he's not really even that. But a better description of him lays in the chapters of Family Relations, which explains in detail exactly how Hershel got to be the way he is and why.

Well, we all have our favorites, Dear. For a good laugh, I'll take Bo. For a nice cuddle on the couch, definitely Hershel.

Abay:

Any relation to Ebay, Dear?

Just a little joke.

As Orion said, Dear, Hershel may deserve and crave many things. Pity is not one of them. He is what he is by choice (sort of). I mean, he could possibly be human again, but there's no guarantees there. Kind of, 'the cure could be worse than the disease'. Hershel chose to stay the way he is. Granted, he's not very popular at parties, but he's learned to adapt as best he can. And he enjoys, to a degree, the power his situation has brought to him.

Katlin did the best thing she could have done in her situation. She stood up to the man. Hershel is not use to that. He is far more use to being shunned, feared, and even hated. But rarely has anyone ever stood up to him or for him, much less against her own husband. Hershel felt that that sort of action deserved a proper acknowledgement of appreciation. Hence, in a sense, he gave Katlin her freedom in the only way he could.

Orion actually owes Katlin a great deal of praise and thanks. She is now the buffer between his family and Hershel Bennett. There is little love lost between Hershel and the Black family, despite their past, or more likely, because of it. But to hurt any one of them, especially Orion, who is the one Hershel would most likely strike through, would upset Katlin. So Hershel is much more careful how he deals with the Black family now.

The last scene, Dear? Go read Skahducky's question, then the answer. It may shed a little light for you. I did warn you in the author's notes that Family Relations is not a light read. If I put something in this story, it's there for a reason. There's a little reading between the lines involved, and a lot of re-reading. Once you get past chapter ten, you will most likely want to go back and re-read the first few chapters. With one missing piece of information you will read the first few chapters in a whole different light.

Currently, Dear, I'm just hoping to get to my hand surgery. My Primary doctor appears to need to make a car payment and is using me t do it by ordering every blasted test he can think of before signing my release for the surgery. This week I simply put a stop to it and said 'no more'! I went to my surgeon and told him I would sign a release on myself, releasing him from any liability if he will just do the surgery. You just get tired of being poked and prodded, folks.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Thank you! I am so glad someone commented on that. I thought it was cute.

Hope to hear from you again, Dear.

****

Family Life

Fwuzzfwuzz:

Your name is a mouthful, Dear.

I'm glad you liked it. I am told I misused 'soap' when I meant 'soup' in one chapter. But of 133,000 readers, only one person mentioned it, so I did not feel t hard pressed to change it yet. One day I might.

If you liked Family Life, I d hope you come back for Family Relations and Family Ties, parts two and three of the Family story arch.

****

Family Relations

Becky (Me):  
Me? Where have you been, you son of a gun? Thought you disappeared on me. Man, it's been a while! Good to have you back!

Oh, yes, Dear, after a long, long, long time, we are finally off and running with Family Relations.

Sadist. You're going to make me really work on this one, huh? Well, do your best t not understand. I pride my stories on being able to stand on their own. But you'll keep me on my toes, I'm sure.

Orion is not an idiot, Dear. Just poorly informed. He had no idea Harry couldn't apparate. Nor did he expect, once he discovered his error, that his target would have moved by the time he got back, all the spacing of about a minute. And, having five of his own children, he can't even claim unfamiliar territory here. Just bad planning.

Well, you have a few weeks to go before you see anything strictly new. I am reposting the first four chapters in order t make some modifications. Mostly they will be extended to give a bit more information. So don't overlook them.

Catch you later, Dear.

****

Fever

Charming-Lynn:

Dear, I have some bad news for you. Fever is done. There are no more chapters to update with.

Rankokunalpha1:  
I have to assume you put that number on there yourself, because, Dear, there is no way someone else has this name.

:I have to assume you put that number on there yourself, because, Dear, there is someone else has this name. 

In response to you review, please see above response.

****

Tried And Convicted

****

Mrmistoffelees:

Ummmm..., bad news, Dear. This story wrapped up. There is nothing to update.

All reviews are as of 06/12/2005.

And remember;

Hurricane Season began June 1st. Expect delays. We've already had one.

(OK, so it was technically only a tropical storm.)

Please stay tuned to my bio page for weather delay updates.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I do apologize for being late, folks. These days it seems i have time for everything but myself.

But I hope things will calm down for a while after this weekend.

What's so special about this weekend, you might ask? (And well you should.)

Well, folks, on July 2nd my parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. How about that! 50 glorious years.

Then, on July 3rd, I have yet another birthday. Never mind which one. Maybe I'll get myself a present of a new keyboard. Heaven knows I could use one.

And this past few weeks I have been going through a very hard time with my best friend, who was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer early in June. She just underwent surgery to remove it and is at home recovering. Thankfully so far they do not think the cancer spread. I am sure your prayers will be appreciated.

Also, you'll notice something new in the Q&A section. If you ask me a specific question, I copied your question and pasted it into the copy. Two reasons for that. One, folks, it's tons easier for me t answer without having to jump back and froth between files. And second, I hope it will help make the questions and answers make a bit more sense to you.

One last thing.  
I was ask when I post. I generally only post on two days. Wednesdays or Sundays. If I post on any other day it is truly a rarity.

Anyway, that's all for now.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

Chapter Two: Meetings-Part Two

Sirius had no chance to respond as the man who had come into the office with the note suddenly returned. Coming in the door behind him was a tall, thin man with cold gray eyes and raven black hair that fell well past his shoulders and almost to his waist. To look at him and look at Sirius one could easily have made the mistake of calling them twins. Until one took a closer look at the new-comer.

Though his face showed itself to be slightly older than Sirius', his expression wasn't as worn as that of the younger man, although it was very close. And whereas Sirius' eyes were blue, the other man's were more of a gray color. He was also a bit broader in the shoulders and stood a good three inches taller. The only other difference came down to that on his left hand the man already wore a gold wedding band.

Sirius fixed the coldest of stares on the man who met it with a stoic expression.

"Sirius." The man stated formally.

Sirius walked over to the man, his stare never leaving him once.

"Why?" Sirius said in a harsh whisper. "Why are you doing this? To me? To Arabella? What possible reason?"

But the man all but ignored the question as he turned to the caseworker. "My name is Orion Black." He said past a polite smile. "I was told you were the caseworker for my brother's adoption of Harry Potter Black."

The woman simply sat for a moment, staring at the man who stood next to her desk.

Arabella had noted the stare quickly enough. She was all to familiar with it from her school days. If the Black men shared nothing else, it was their ability to have almost any woman stop and stare at them as though they had never seen anything quite like them before.

But as though noting how quiet the room had gotten, the caseworker suddenly dropped her eyes to the paper work on her desk and began shuffling through it. "Ummmm, yes." She replied hastily. "And you are...?"

"Orion Black." Orion repeated pleasantly. "Harry Potter Black's legal guardian."

Sirius immediately grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him back around to face him, balancing on his cane as he did so.

"How dare you?" He stated in a voice that did little to hide the anger in it. "I am Harry's godfather. I am his legal guardian."

Orion's expression didn't alter in the slightest as he met the man's stare. "You were Harry's legal guardian up to the point that I felt the situation was no longer in Harry's best interest. At that time, I was given the right to take custody of Harry. And that is what I have done." Orion pulled a sheet of paper out of his long, black overcoat. "That paper was signed this morning in the court where I entered my petition to take custody of Harry. As of that time, Harry was in my legal custody. Not yours."

Sirius read the paper over with Arabella looking anxiously over his arm as she read it as well. But she kept a respectable distance from him, as though she wasn't quite sure how he might react.

"What is the meaning of this?" Sirius stated, turning the cold stare back to the man before him.

"Just what it says." Orion replied calmly.

"You're saying I can't care for Harry properly. Financially or emotionally."

The man gave Sirius the most unfriendly smile Arabella could ever remember seeing. "You've just been declared a free man, Sirius. You have a lot of things to deal with. A great deal of matters that need attending to. I felt it was likely that a great deal of your time and energy over the next few months is going to be directed at sorting out your own life, not on handling the new responsibilities that come with a child. As for the financial part, just how were you planning to support yourself and a child?"

"I'm hardly poor."

The smile widened. "And you currently have no access to your accounts."

Sirius' expression shifted quickly to one of confusion. "What?"

"When you were...away," Orion amended from saying Azkaban in front of the case worker, "I had your accounts transferred into my name so that someone was managing the family estate and its assets properly, until things were more...decided. Therefore, your accounts are currently under my control and I don't think you're quite ready to regain access to them just yet."

Sirius stood staring at the man before him for a moment longer, but then quickly recomposed himself.

"You've taken my godson. You've taken my money. What's next, Orion?" He asked in a deceptively calm voice. "Or were you planning on having me thrown back in Azkaban saved as a really big surprise?"

"I'm not doing any of this to hurt you, Sirius." Orion replied flatly. "I am, in fact, trying to help."

"Then you can stop. Because you're not."

"Really?"

Sirius fixed his cold stare on the man in front of him. "What you are doing," he stated in a low, drawn out whisper of a voice, "is interfering."

Orion stood for a moment, his eyes locked on the other man's. But then the smallest of smiles crossed his features. "I'm sure you'd see it that way." He replied quietly.

"Sirius." Arabella said quietly. "Please, can we just go and get Harry? He's probably wondering what's happened."

"You stay away from my family." Sirius stated in a quiet, menacing tone as Arabella directed him to the door. His anger was controlled, but definitely more dangerous than usual. Even the limp that he now walked with was more pronounced under his anger as he took each step.

"I'm afraid that isn't going to be possible right now." Orion replied as he followed closely behind.

Sirius stopped abruptly as he opened the door and turned back to Orion. "Meaning?"

"Harry won't be leaving with you, Sirius. He will be staying with me."

Sirius nearly exploded. "Over my...!"

Arabella pulled him back. "Sirius, please!" She pleaded. "Can we discuss this outside."

"There is nothing to discuss!" Sirius stated in a voice Arabella had never heard him use before. "This man is not taking that boy from me."

"You're living in the past." Orion stated in his same, pleasantly calm voice. "It's already been done. The papers from the court give me the legal right to take Harry today. And I'm afraid there is very little you can do to stop it." Orion placed himself just inches from the other man's face. "Unless you'd like to try."

With Arabella's hand wrapped tightly about his arm, Sirius stood his ground, staring down his brother. "We will see." He replied finally in a very low voice.

"I look forward to it." Orion stated as he stepped past Sirius and out into the hallway.

****

Q&A

FEVER

Althea:

No one has seen him in years?  
That's sort of creepy. So update yo brlliat thing, 'cos I love your story.  
You have this writing style, in everything i've read from you, and it's relaxing and commfy to read, and at the same time the plot and storyline keeps you on the edge.

Seen who, Dear? Orion? That's because he's a busy man.

Update? Sorry, Dear. Fever is a done deal. No more updates on that one.

Well thank you, Dear. I am glad you like my writing style. I suppose it comes from being fine tuned over three decades of writing.

****

FAMILY LIFE

Takethistoyourgrave:

The name worries me a little, Dear.

I'm glad you like the story, and you are right, it is a long one.

****

TRIED AND CONVICTED

Mrmistoffelees:

When are you going to update? I enjoy the story very much.

Sorry, Dear, once again, this story is a done deal. No further updates.

****

SIRIUSLY BORED

Flamegirl22:

Thank you, Dear. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Mrmistoffelees:

Thank you, Dear. And although it is one of my favorites as well, I am still very partial to A Dog's Day.

****

FAMILY RELATIONS

Abay:

What? Your doctor made you go through all those tests- and I bet they were painful- just to pay for his car payment? ... Good thing you put a stop to it though, I know the feeling of never ending doctor visits and tests..they get annoying!

Aw, poor Arrabella! And Sirius too! I really hate Orion now, for doing that! Still... I'm sure he had a reason...and I guess we have to wait and see...

Can't wait for the next chapter! ;)

The test thing was just my opinion, Dear. As well as my belief as to the reasons he needed to do so many all of the sudden. But my doctor had the final word, I suppose. Last week he dismissed me as his patient and has made fairly certain I can not come back to the clinic under any other doctor. In other words, I have been blackballed. Such is life.

As for who you have to feel sorry for, Dear, we'll have to wait and see. I would hold ff on handing out the sympathy cards just yet.

And Orion does have a good reason. I've said this all along. And I'll stand by it.

Mrmistoffelees:

Interesting. Who is Orion Black?

You've been a busy reader, Dear. Good for you. Glad you decided to expend so much time on my stories. Thank you.

Now, who is Orion Black? A short and simple answer, Dear, is, he is Sirius' older brother. If you want a little more on him, I would point you in the direction of Enemies, which gives a great deal of background on the man.

Sugar E. Quill:

First off, let me say that your stories are absolutely amazing! There's a depth and quality that actually outshines the original books. Just don't tell J.K.R. I am new to your stories (I only found them about a month ago, but I've read 'Family Ties', 'Fever', and 'Runaway'. They are fantastic.

**I don't really have any questions about the story, as I prefer to find things out as they happen, no matter how curious I am. I just have a couple of general questions. I read somewhere, I'm not sure if it was a story or your bio, that you don't post your stories until they are completely written. (I love you for that! At least I know that I'll definately find out how it ends!) Anyway, on that topic, I was curious as to how often you post? (Barring Tropical Weather, anyway. ) **

Great work on everything, I look forward to each and every chapter!

Mischief Managed,  
Sugar Quill

P.S. - Sounds like you live in the region I do. We got hit by all those storms last year, and a touch of Arlene. laughs

Well, that is high praise indeed, Dear. Thank you. And you obviously have some time n your hands. None of those stories are exactly short reads. Especially Family Life.

I don't post until the story is complete, or nearly so. The point being, once the story starts, I can tell you nearly word for word how it will read. Some times I get a little behind in my typing. But the stories are all outlined by the time they 'go to press', so to speak.

I post on Wednesdays and Sundays almost exclusively.

I don't know where you live, Dear, but I live in the Devil's Triangle of hurricane season last year, commonly referred to as Central Florida. Or more accurately, Polk County...what's left of it.

(Sigh) Dear Arlene. A hint of things to come.

Skahducky:

Wait...after Katlin and Orion tried so hard to get Harry back to Sirius and away from Death Eaters, why would they change their minds and take Harry away? I mean, Orion knows how much Harry means to Sirius and Arabella, and I don't think he'd be doing something as drastic as taking his godson away just to spite him. They're not on bad terms after all, so the only reason for him to do that would be some sort of argument between the two, and if it was such a big conflict that Orion's decided to take Harry away, then wouldn't you have mentioned it? And later, Katlin finds Harry after Orion apparates. Were they working together so that if Orion lost Harry, Katlin would find him, or were they working separately?

Also, was Katlin working with the Death Eaters or Orion? I don't think Katlin would take Harry back to the Death Eaters after helping him escape in Runaway. Well, I know that was a staged escape, but she did do it nonetheless. I don't think she'd try the same thing twice, especially since Voldemort now has the information he wanted. Wait, did Katlin tell Voldemort about the passage? I can't quite remember if she did.

I'll be sure to go back and re-read chapters one through three after reading chapter ten. Please update soon!

Ohhhhhhh...look at all the pretty questions!

Bless you, Dear. You gave PAR something to do.

OK, lets get started.

First off, you sound like you assume Orion simply had nothing to do one day, so he decided to snatch Harry away from Sirius and Arabella as a lark. No, no, Dear. He has a good reason. (I think I mentioned that somewhere.)

Secondly, what do you mean Orion 'and' Katlin? Orion had nothing to do with what went on in Runaway. That was strictly Katlin's doing. She even told her husband to back off and let her handle things when he tried to get involved.

Orion is not doing this for spite. He has a good reason (How many times have I said that now?)

OK. I can see that reading the end chapter of Runaway one could get the idea Orion and Sirius are not at odds. But I would direct you back to the middle of Family Life for clarification there. Sirius and his brother are not exactly enemies, but they have their issues. They simply put them aside when it came to rescuing Katlin.

The past issues between Orin and his brother have nothing to do with why he is removing Harry from Sirius' custody. (But he does have good reasons for what he is doing.)

Yes, if there was an issue between Sirus and Orion big enough to have initiated Orion's actions, I would likely have mentioned that. (Unless it happens to be the basis of this story..., which it isn't...sort of.)

Katlin finding Harry sort of was and wasn't dumb luck. While she and Orion are not technically working together at this stage, Katlin is watching over her soon-to-be-nephew, feeling that someone should be. You know...men, phfffffft. (Unless you happen to be one, Dear, in which case you likely don't understand.)

Technically, Katlin was working with the Deatheaters. That is, after all, what she is. However, she was working with them because she knew what, or more accurately who, their target was. And she wasn't going to let any harm come to Harry. On the basics level, Katlin likes Harry. She feels he's a little misguided, but that isn't his fault so much as that of the people around him. She is trying to be the balancing article in his young life. Making sure, as it were, that he sees life from both sides. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Katlin's taking Harry back to the Deatheaters or not remains to be seen. And her escapades in Runaway were not totally staged...just most of them. And yes, she did do it nonetheless. But what she did, like Orion, she did with good reason.

You're assuming, Dear. Be careful. Voldemort 'thinks' he has the information he wants. Katlin told him the passage did not exist, which was backed up by her capture. If there had been a secret passage into the school, she would have used it and, therefore, most likely not have been captured. But, not knowing the whole story and only seeing the outter fringes of it, Voldemort believed she was telling the truth. And Katlin told that little white lie for several reasons, most of them her own. For one, she promised Harry she wouldn't tell Voldemort about the passage, and one thing Katlin is good for is her word. Secondly, she considered it 'poor manners' to repay the things Dumbledore has done for her by unleashing Voldemort in his school. Katlin has some morals, after all.

If your confused about Katlin's actions, try thinking of her as a little girl who has suddenly grown up and isn't seeing things in quite the same black and white patterns she use to. Something that is going to likely upset Voldemort as well as play a large role in Katlin's future actions.

Reviews are as of 06252005.

And remember;

Hurricane Season: When we learn the true meaning of the words 'Flood Plain', and their importance in our lives.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Could my chapter titles get any more boring?

Well, Happy Birthday to PAR, folks. She's another year older.

And due to her being another year older, you are going to have to accept that sometimes I don't remember my own stories very well. So, allow me to make (yet) another adjustment to my time line.

It has often been ask if at this point in time do Orion and Katlin have children. The answer to that, as of today, is 'Yes. They have five children.'

Will those children show up in this story? No. You can safely consider them in the loving care of their overly indulgent grandparents. (The Black's, not Voldemort, who is, technically, not a grandfather as that Katlin is, technically, not his daughter.)

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

Chapter Three: Meetings-Part Three

Harry sat on an uncomfortable wooden bench, absently swinging his feet back and forth over the dull, over-waxed green plastic tiles of the adoption agency's lobby floor. He doubted that in his entire life he had ever been so bored while being equally so anxious. In the time he had been waiting he felt he had the corridor memorized to the point he would never forget it. He had started with the floor, then moved to the walls, which were showing their age worse than the floor tiles. Stains and small areas where plaster had come off over the years adorned the flat surface that he just couldn't quite discern the true color of, but finally decided on it being a sort of off-white covering.

The ceiling was worse than the walls, with cracks running in every direction through the plaster. To further occupy his time he had tried to make recognizable patterns out of the lines, but hadn't gotten any further than one connecting series that, with a great deal of imagination, could have been the head of a hippogriff.

But as the minutes ticked by, he decided what grabbed his attention the most, and held mercilessly onto it, was the smell. The corridor had the same, thick, unpleasant, antiseptic smell of a hospital. Something he had a hard time reconciling to himself. how could a place smell so clean and look so dirty?

He shrugged off the question for the hundredth time and took to studying the ceiling again, hoping and praying they would soon be going home.

Sirius had told him in all hopefulness this would be their last trip to the agency. The adoption should be finalized that morning and that would be that.

Harry certainly hoped so. Things had been anything but normal since Sirius had mentioned the adoption. And things happened so fast after that, Harry hardly had time to even think about what was going on.

The oddest occurrence of all in Harry's mind was the day Arabella had come to him and given him a paper to sign. Harry looked it over carefully as Arabella explained it to him.

"It's a petition to change your name, Harry." She explained with what he could only describe as the most nervous smile he had ever seen his godmother use. "It's just for your protection." Harry could clearly hear the hesitancy in her words. Like she was picking each one with extreme care. "From now on you'll be Harry James Potter Black. All right?"

Harry had stared at the paper, then turned back to his godmother.

"Why isn't Sirius doing this?" he asked.

"Well," Arabella had paused briefly, "this is sort of a surprise, Harry. For after the wedding. It's something I'm doing for him. But you're going to remember it's a surprise. And we don't want to ruin it, do we? So you're not to say anything to Sirius about it, all right?""

Harry glanced up at his godmother, then turned his attention back to the paper. He glanced over it again, this time with something else catching his attention. "This says that if anything happens to you or Sirius, my custody goes to Orion."

"It's a protection clause, Dear." Arabella stated quickly. "It's just if anything were to happen and Sirius or I couldn't take care of you, you would go to Sirius' brother."

"Why Orion?" Harry asked. He had already heard stories about the elder Black brother and he didn't exactly relish the idea of him as a guardian. "Why not Remus? Or Dumbledore."

Arabella looked like she was exactly ten seconds away from some sort of breakdown. "Because Remus can't be given custody, Dear. It's the law governing werewolves. And Dumbledore is much to busy running the school to take on a teenager. Now please, Harry, for me, just sign the document. It'll be our little surprise, all right? We'll give it to Sirius after the wedding. He'll be so pleased you signed it. So pleased you wanted to do this for him. To make him happy."

Harry remembered trying to ask something else about the document, but that was all he could recall of the event. He was trying to ask something else, when things went a little fuzzy. He remembered suddenly feeling that signing the paper was simply the right thing to do. It was, in fact, suddenly the most important thing in his life. Signing that document.

Arabella had handed him a quill and directed his hand over the piece of paper where he was to sign.

"Just sign it, Dear." He remembered hearing her say to him. "It's the right thing to do."

When Harry looked up again, he noticed the most startling transformation in his godmother. Never had he seen the woman look more like the Auror she was. Staring down at him with a expression that was anything but her usual, gentle air, Arabella carefully slid the paper out from under his hand and carefully rolled it up and tucked it safely into her robes.

He remembered her telling him something about her wanting him to go take a nap as she slipped the quill out of his hand. She reminded him once more about the paper being a surprise and that he wasn't to tell Sirius about it. Then she herded him towards the stairs, reminding him that they had a busy day planned the following morning and he should get some rest. And finding himself suddenly very tired, he had gone straight up to bed and fallen almost immediately asleep.

After that the court paper was never mentioned again. And after a short period of time, he had nearly forgotten it in the mad rush everything around him turned into.

Especially today.

Arabella had fussed over him all morning, making sure that he looked just right. Even as they drove to the agency in London she had continued to try and get his hair to look a little more orderly. She had even considered a small spell to do the job. But Sirius had finally called a halt to process at that point, reminding Arabella they had agreed on a strict 'no magic' rule whenever they were dealing with the adoption agency. The agency was run by muggles. If anything 'unusual' were to happen due to a spell suddenly going wrong, it could jeopardize the adoption.

And there seemed to be no guarantees these days about Arabella and her spells. While Sirius had taken control of the adoption process (part of which involved a 'no waiting' policy, despite his earlier opinion that the agency would look more favorably on a married couple than a single father), the planning of the wedding had been left to Arabella. And since the first day she started trying to get things organized, her spells seemed a bit...less focused. Everything from burnt dinners to attacks from feather dusters seemed to suddenly be the norm around the house.

And then there were the trips. The last few weeks seemed an endless series of trips to Harry. Off to Diagon Alley. Or a day trip to London to look for a suit for him. Or a dress for Arabella. Or for something else having to do with the wedding. It always seemed they were off somewhere. Sometimes for the day. Sometimes overnight or for the weekend. When Harry went off with his godmother, he was never sure when he would see Sirius again. In his opinion, it seemed almost as though Arabella was doing her utmost best to keep him and Sirius separated as much as possible, but always with her. Harry had ask once if he could go see Ron for the weekend, sure Arabella would jump at the chance. But she had told him 'no', stating only it wasn't a good idea in her opinion and instead hustled him off to London for the weekend.

But that morning things almost seemed normal with everyone pleasantly over-excited. Especially Harry and Arabella. Harry had spent most of the car ride into London thinking about what he was going to call his godparents now. 'Sirius and Arabella' seemed suddenly out of place. But 'Mom and Dad' didn't seem quite right either. Or maybe it would just take some getting use to. When Arabella had noticed how quiet he had gotten and asked what was on his mind, Harry had told her.

He should have lied.

The dilemma had brought a flurry of suggestions from his godparents. Everything from referring to them simply as still his 'godparents' to, as Sirius had suggested, 'the two people who were going to make his life miserable until he turned eighteen because that was now their job'.

When Harry had asked the question in reverse, Arabella had proudly stated she was going to refer to Harry for what he was; her adopted son. Sirius, on the other hand, had remained uncharacteristically quiet on the matter as he directed the car into the adoption agency parking lot.

And so Harry had sat on the bench for the past hour, taking in the corridor scenery and thinking over various answers to the question. He only looked up when he heard the sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor.

Harry didn't think he had ever seen a stranger procession than the one headed towards him down the hallway.

In the lead was the woman Harry recognized from his earlier visits to the agency as the caseworker who was in charge of the adoption. Harry had had one meeting with her in which she had asked a horribly long list of questions; most of which Harry didn't think were any of her business, but that he had answered anyway so as not to jeopardize the adoption.

Behind the caseworker was a tall man who looked amazingly like Sirius, except that he was dressed very differently. Harry's first thought upon seeing him was that he knew the man from somewhere. A thought he quickly past off to the fact that the man simply bore a striking resemblance to his godfather.

But it was the people bringing up the rear of the procession that struck Harry as the oddest of the four.

Harry had expected his godparents to be happy and excited. But the two's expressions couldn't have been further from 'happy' or 'excited'.

Sirius' gaze seemed fixed on nothing imparticular as he walked behind the man in front of him. Every step seemed to be forced, as did every other movement Sirius made. From his set jaw to the way his cane hit the floor every time he moved it, Sirius seemed as though he had enough anger inside of him that the slightest release would shake the building to its foundation.

Next to him Arabella looked as pale as Harry could ever remember seeing her. She walked just slightly behind Sirius, not touching him as she kept her hands clasp in front of her. She also didn't seem to be staring at anything imparticular until she came closer to where he was still sitting, watching the approaching group. Only then did her gaze shift to him and her expression became even more forlorn.

Not knowing what to think, Harry stayed exactly where he was, not making a move or saying a word. Whatever was going on, he knew it wasn't anything good as the tension from the four pressed in on him as they approached.

The caseworker stepped into a side office before reaching him. The black-haired man behind her continued to approach him with long, determined steps.

Harry's eyes never left the man's face as he walked up and stopped finally before him.

"Harry," the stranger said with a forced friendliness that tried to dispel the tension around them with little success, "my name is Orion Black. I'm Sirius' brother."

Harry only nodded slightly in response, his gaze shifting briefly to his godparents. Sirius' expression hadn't changed in the least, but remained fixed on Orion. But Arabella's attention had stayed on him. Her expression wasn't so much anguish, he noted, as nervousness. A state she was trying so hard to hide while she seemed to equally be trying to will him to remain calm.

Harry turned his eyes back to the man standing before him. Suddenly he remembered why the man looked so familiar. Harry had seen pictures of him when they had been living at Sirius' family house during the summer. Harry had, in fact, mistaken several pictures of Orion for Sirius.

Orion held his hand out for Harry. "Harry, I need for you to come with me, all right?"

Harry stayed where he was, ignoring the outstretched hand as he turned his eyes again to this godparents, pleading for them to tell him what was going on. What they wanted him to do.

Harry was so caught up in his confusion over the situation, he failed to even think to protest as Orion reached down and took his hand, directing him to his feet.

He was still staring mutely at his godparents as Orion led him off down the hallway toward the front doors.

****

Q&A

Family Relations

Silverfox:

****

Ah, condolences on the death of the parrot. I hope she didn't suffer. ... There's one thing that strikes me as strange here: You said that Arabella wants to prevent Sirius from adopting Harry (or at least that's how it arrived in my brain), but her reactions here don't fit the picture. Is this simply what Sirius assumes is the reason for her nervous behaviour, or is she slightly shizophrenic? ... Cuddling on the couch with Hershal? Shudder! No thanks, if I had to choose between those two, I'd pick Bo, though I 'd prefer not to cuddle with either of them. ... I just realised I unintentionally stole a character name from you and should better apologise. I'm currently planning a fic which, if I ever post it (big if I'm actually still wondering how the hell an mpreg plot-hedgehog ever ended up inside my mind and whether such a thing won't permanently ruin my reputation), will include a demon named Talon. I swear he has nothing to do with Talon Black and I only came to call him that, because Claw didn't quite feel right. I wasn't thinking of your Talon at all at the time and have by now gotten too used to the name to want to change it. Do you mind terribly much?

Hm ... don't really notice any differences from the first posting of this chapter. I still don't like Orion in this one, though I'll trust in your promise that it will be look different later on. Seems to me like Sirius ought to have the legal right to demand his money back, if the transfer was made on the grounds of his being in Azkaban.

Thank you, Dear. Our beloved parrot suffered very little.

Dang! You ask tough questions. Is Arabella trying t prevent the adoption? Well, yes and no. Unfortunately, that's the best answer I can give you for now. As that Arabella's actins are a large part of this story. A very large part. Poor Arabella is going to have to face some hard choices in the coming weeks. As well as one that she would give anything to not have to make.

Oh, come on, Hershal is cute! (More than cute, actually. The man is drop dead gorgeous.) You can't hold being half Dementor against the man.

Oh Dear, don't worry about having stolen anything from me. The name 'Talon' for Sirius' father I believe was actually stolen by me from another story to begin with. I unfortunately can not recall the story where I saw it originally, but I did give credit in one set of Author's Notes to the original author or authoress of the idea, whoever they may have been.

The differences are, indeed, often subtle, to say the least. Mostly they involve simply dispensing a little more information than was originally given. For instance, in this chapter you are getting a little bit more of a look into Arabella's reactions to things. Also, if you look at the original postings and then at these, you'll note the changes involve the things characters say. The reason for these changes is because words and phrasing is so very important in this story. Not one word, one phrase, one statement is put in this story that I did not carefully consider. If I changed a phrase, you can bet there's a reason.

Yes, yes, there's a reason.

Orion was being...tactful (a rare instance with him, to be sure) in what he said to Sirius about why he took custody of Harry. To scrap off all the tact, sweetness and convoluted words and say it plainly, it would have come out something like...'because I honestly don't see you as being capable of taking care of this child'.

Sirius could likely take Orion to court and hash it out about his accounts. But the money isn't his main focus right now. Harry is. And not for the reasons you may think.

Mallory Belvedere:

I don't honestly set out to torture people, Dear. Believe me. But if you are enjoying it, all the better.

Chapter five is coming. Should be out shortly after Chapter Four. Actually, I believe there is a Chapter Four and a Chapter Four B since I split the original Chapter Four into two parts.

Macaw:

I appreciate the kind thoughts about the parrot, Dear, but let me add a little post-script here.

Charlie, our parrot, was as temperamental a parrot as ever there was. The vet swore the bird was female. Loved my Dad, hated everyone else passionately. Even despite the fact that for years I was the bird's sole caretaker and source of conversation for six months out of every year, the minute my Dad walked back through the door, I ceased to exist.

Birds are funny that way.

We still miss her.

Sweets:

****

P.A.R., I know...I know it's been a long while since I've read and reviewed. :) In the time I've been away I have officially gotten my A.A.(Of course that was just this past week) With dad's health a second cancer surgery etc...life has been very busy these last few months. Please forgive the un-read/un-reviewed chapters.  
Okay Orion needs a chill pill seriously. He is taking Harry and let's not forget here that Harry is going to need Sirius and Arabella. He needs them to help heal etc. I hope dear Orion knows what he is getting himself into. Are we going to be seeing any more of Katlin? If so is she and Orion going to be an item again ever? Also what ramifications will Orion's action of taking Harry have on Harry? Sirius? Arabella?  
Okay, enough questions for now...I probably will find some answers reading the stories I haven't gotten to yet. YIKES! I only have till Aug. then UCF beckons...What have I gotten myself into?  
BTW...I know what you mean about all the rain...I don't know if you've been on 50 in Occoee but they have pumps working overtime. Thank goodness work isn't in that direction.

Congratulations on the AA, Dear.

I understand how a parent's health concerns can take over your life, believe me. How is your Dad doing, Dear?

Does Orion know what he's getting himself into? Probably. He is, after all, currently the father of five. Three of them teenagers.

Will you be seeing any more of Katlin? Oh, Dear, yes. A great deal more. She figures very heavily in this story.

Will Katlin and Orion be 'an item'? I would hope so. They are, after all, married.

What ramifications will Orion's taking Harry from his godparents have on Harry, Sirius, and Arabella? How can I answer that, Dear? That's a large part of the story. But I will say this, while I can not comment on anything that is going to be taking place between Arabella and Sirius from Chapter four on out, I can say that poor Harry is going to have his hands full trying to adjust to life under his uncle's rule. Sirius and Orion have very different ideas when it comes to rearing one's children.

What you have gotten yourself into, Dear, is college. Enjoy it while it lasts, because real life is nothing like it.

Pumps? To keep a major highway open? That is so sad. But I like rain, so I am not complaining. I also live in a watershed, so what do I care how much it rains?

****

Diamond

Tcalo:

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! People are still reading Diamond! I am so pleased. I love this story.

Thank you, Dear, for taking the time to review and let me know someone read this even so long after its posting.

All reviews are as of 07/03/2005.

Lessons Hurricanes have taught us:

People will still get in a line even if they have no idea what the line is for.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Look on the bright side of life, Brian, I didn't name this one Meetings.

As I write this, Hurricane Dennis is slamming into Florida's panhandle as a Category Three hurricane. These poor people just got done with Arlene in June, still haven't cleaned up completely from Ivan last year, and now they are being hit again. Looks like we are in for another rough season here in Florida.

You may have noticed last time that the story got split, and there are now three stories running under the Family Relations heading. I have the original 'Previews' posting, and then the start of the story itself. However, last week when I tried to post the 'Edit' feature on the site, it would not allow me to add any chapters to the story. So I was forced to make a new folder for it. So the story is now being continued under the heading **Family Relations Continuation** until I can get the site administrators to fix whatever is wrong.

Also I'll tell you right off that this is the one chapter I made no alterations to. Not a single word was changed. I simply liked this chapter as it was.

Next week you will start getting new chapters, but I suspect you'll all be off reading Rowlings' new installment. For me, a lot of the magic went out of the series with the last book. And when all I'm promised is more deaths and a darker story, I just can't get that excited.

Anyway,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

****

Chapter Four: And What Is It Exactly That You Do For A Living?

To Harry the whole episode seemed like some bad dream. At that moment he was suppose to be headed home with Sirius and Arabella; with his parents. They had already planned to have a celebration that night at a restaurant in London.

The next morning he was suppose to be waking up to whole new life. He wasn't going to be an orphan anymore. He would have parents. Two people who loved him and wanted him and cared about him.

Instead Harry found himself being ushered into the back of a large black sedan with his godfather's older brother getting in after him, giving the driver direction as he did so.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked in a voice so distant he could barely tell it was his. He hadn't heard the address Orion had given the driver.

"The Black estate." The man sitting next to him replied formally. "You've been there before, yes? So at least you'll be somewhere familiar."

"Can't you just tell me what's going on?" Harry asked.

The man turned to him with a stare Harry was sure Snape would have stood up and applauded.

"I mean...it's just...I thought..."Harry found his voice failing him as he stared up at Orion Black. All he wanted right then was to be with his godparents. To have something...anything familiar and comforting he could recognize.

And he found it suddenly in the most unlikely of places. In the smile of the man sitting next to him. A smile that was so reminiscent of his godfather that Harry couldn't help but think it was Sirius sitting next to him instead.

"So," Orion asked, "do I look enough like him for you to be comfortable with me?"

Harry's expression shifted to one of amazement. It was as though the man had picked his thoughts out of the air. But he just as quickly frowned at the man.

"So, are all Unspeakables mind readers?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"No." Orion replied pleasantly enough. "Just good judges of character."

Harry gave him a skeptical look.

"All I can read, Harry, is body language." Orion explained. "And believe me, your's was speaking volumes."

Harry turned to the window. Suddenly he found himself feeling very self-conscious. But also he found himself remembering something he hadn't thought of in days.

The document Arabella had had him sign.

She said it was for his protection. That should something happen to her or Sirius, Orion would have custody of him.

Harry seriously doubted Arabella had foreseen Orion using the document in such a way. Nothing had happened to either of his godparents. Why had Orion taken him from them?

"So," the voice behind him broke into his thoughts, "you know who I am. You know what I do. And you know where I live. I'm afraid that covers all the small talk."

"Why did you take me away from Sirius and Arabella?" Harry asked, still facing the window.

"The only person I took you away from in that room, Harry, you desperately needed to be taken away from. And some day you may even thank me for it."

Harry turned sharply back to Orion for an explanation. But Orion seemed currently engaged in studying what was going on outside the car than inside of it. The man shifted his attention to each side of the car, then to the front and the back.

Harry carefully followed his stare, but failed to see what had caught Orion's attention so suddenly.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure yet." Orion replied, pushing Harry down to the seat. "Stay down for me, will you, Harry?"

"What's going on?" Harry repeated.

But Orion was now busy speaking to his driver.

"Give us some room, Craz. Then hit the first street and slow for the alleyway, all right?"

The man in the drivers seat gave no sign he had even heard the instructions. But Harry felt the car suddenly accelerate. From where he lay over the back seat, he couldn't tell if the car, like the ministry cars that had taken them to the train one year, could maneuver magically through traffic, but Harry had the feeling with the man at the wheel's driving skills, it wouldn't have much mattered. Several times Harry found himself nearly thrown off the seat, only to be saved as Orion pulled him back onto it. Abruptly Harry felt the car take a sharp left and then slow slightly.

"Take the car back to the office, Craz. That should give them something to do, all right?"

"Right-o." The driver cued from the front seat.

In the next instance Harry felt himself grabbed by the back of his shirt and hauled bodily out of the back seat and out into the street. Before he had time to regain his footing he was being dragged down a back alleyway where Orion pulled him up against the wall next to him.

Seconds later Harry heard the squeal of tires and suddenly a large black car spend past the alleyway.

Standing still for several seconds, Orion finally decided the danger had past as he relaxed his stance a little.

"Right. That'll throw them off for a few minutes. But it won't take them too long to discover we're not in the car anymore." Orion quickly turned to Harry. "All right. A quick little apparation home and we should still be in time for lunch. Black estate. You know how to get there, right Harry?"

Apparation?

Harry rapidly reached out and grabbed for Orion's sleeve.

And missed.

Quite abruptly, Harry found himself standing in the alleyway alone.

Harry stood for a few seconds in the alleyway, wondering what to do. Surely Orion would realize what had happened and come back. But he had also said they were being followed by Deatheaters. What if one of them had seen the two of them duck into the alleyway? If the Deatheaters found him, he had no way out.

Harry didn't waste anymore time trying to think how he would get out of that one. He didn't seem to get much further past his mental imagine of facing several Deatheaters who were blocking his only escape route. Taking one last look around the alleyway to see if Orion was coming back, Harry's nerves finally won out and he raced for the entrance of the alleyway. At least if he was on the street, he had chance of escaping.

Once he reached the street, Harry already had a plan of where he wanted to go. He headed back in the direction of adoption agency. At least he would be safe there. Even if he wasn't sure where it was, he knew where they had come from. And he could always ask directions when he felt he had gotten far enough away. At the moment all he wanted was to get as far from the area he was in as he could. Then he could worry about finding the adoption agency.

Harry was never so grateful for crowded streets as he was that day. He found himself having to push his way around several other people on the sidewalk as he ran. Surely that would help throw off anyone trying to catch up to him.

When he was sure he was well out of the area where the Deatheaters might be, Harry gave himself a brief rest against a building to catch his breath. He made sure it wasn't too much in plain view, but that he could be seen if someone tried to grab him, that he wasn't near any alleys, and away from the street.

As he stood gasping for breath, Harry began to think further ahead in his plan. He had to get to the adoption agency. That was the first step. But then what? What if the Deatheaters were there? What if they were watching for him. Well, sure they couldn't grab him in plain sight. Maybe he could find a policeman and tell him someone was chasing him and he needed to find his parents back at the adoption agency?

No, that wasn't any good. He couldn't endanger a muggle policeman against Deatheaters.

What if he went to the police station instead?

But who would he say was chasing him? Deatheaters? That would go over well.

A hand suddenly grabbed Harry's arm, snapping him instantly out of his thoughts. His first instinct was to fight.

And he did. Never even bothering to see who the person was, Harry fought against the hold on his arm, hitting at it as he tried to break free and run in the opposite direction. His second instinct was to scream for help. Surely whoever was trying to grab him didn't want publicity. Harry screamed for help at the top of his voice. Yelling someone was trying to kidnap him.

Harry's last glimpse of the street was of the people walking by him, calmly going about their business as thought they didn't even see him.

As shocked as he was by the occurrence, Harry barely noticed two long, thin arms wrapping themselves about him from behind until they increased their pressure across his chest, holding him fast.

"Honestly," a soft, silk-smooth voice whispered in his ear as a cascade of dark auburn hair fell about his shoulders and down his chest, "what is wrong with these Black men? That they can't take care of one, small child?"

****

Q&A

Althea:

****

em...we in the name of heavens above is this chapter a different story?  
**You confuse me sometimes.**

But, chapter was great.

As you saw in my Author's Notes, I am having issues posting right now. Please bear with me as I try to straighten things out.

That's all right, Dear. I confuse myself sometimes too.

Annie:

****

I was reading your responses to reviewers and you mentioned Orion having five kids. Are they Kaitlin's because I thought she couldn't have kids? I wanna ask more questions about the kids but if you're gonna expand more on them in later chapters, I guess I can wait.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh! Kid questions. I love kid questions! Mostly because, no, Dear, they are not expanded on in this story. Where did you get that idea? So feel free to ask as many questions as you like.

So let me answer what you've ask about. No, the children are not Katlin's. Now whether or not Katlin can have children remains to be seen. Dr. Richards said it would be difficult for her to become pregnant, but not impossible.

All reviews are as of 07/10/2005.

And remember:

Two things you can definitely make on an outside grill.

Pizza and instant coffee.

(Go away, Dennis!)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: OK, folks, this is the long awaited second half of chapter four, and is the stuff you are seeing for the first time as that this was never previewed. So I hope you enjoy it. I sort of have to run through this quickly for spell checking and all that. I'm cooking Lasagna for the family tonight because Mom is tired and needs a night off. We've had family coming in and out of the house visiting since the first of July and Mom really needs a break. So I offered to cook. Could be a good thing. Or it could be everyone off work tomorrow with food poisoning.

And don't look to me for any comments about the book. I have no idea. I bought it. I may read it six months from now. Rowling just sort of lost me on the last book. I like happy endings, and this is looking less and less likely to be one. So go enjoy it for yourselves. I'll get around to it someday.

In the meantime, keep in mind I am operating on only things up to Book Four.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All Character of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER FOUR-PART TWO: WHAT EXACTLY IS IT THAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING?

* * *

**

Harry froze in the grip until he saw the hair and heard that voice. Instantly he pulled free, finding the arms easily releasing him.

His face instantly broke into a smile of relief as he turned to face his captor.

"Katlin!" he exclaimed. "You free! You got away from the Ministry! Dumbledore said you had escaped, but I never saw anything in the Daily Prophet, and Sirius and Arabella never said anything, and I was afraid to ask anyone because I...well, if it was never in any of the papers, people would wonder how I knew and wonder why I was aski..." Harry stopped abruptly in his rambling. He had been worried about Katlin since he last left her sitting in a jail cell at the Ministry of Magic, waiting to be transported to Azkaban. The only word he had heard since then had been from the Headmaster of his school, who told him Katlin had indeed escaped before reaching Azkaban. And where as he didn't doubt Dumbledore's word, it still wasn't the same as seeing her safe and well. "I'm really glad you're safe." he finally finished.

The Elite Deatheater greeted him with a warm smile. "Hello, Harry. How are you?"

"Right now?" Harry asked, still a little breathless, "not very good. I was suppose to be at the adoption agency, then O..."Harry stopped suddenly, not sure how much he could tell the Deatheater about what had happened. "Then I got taken from there by someone." He amended quickly, knowing it didn't sound like a very good explanation. "Then we were being chased by Deatheaters. We ducked down an alley. He disapparated, but I couldn't, and suddenly I was alone, so I couldn't tell him, and I thought the best thing to do was try and get back to the adoption agency, and..."

But Katlin quickly slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Harry, I couldn't have followed that story if I had a code book to translate it. Could we try again with just questions and answers?"

Harry nodded.

Katlin pulled her hand back. "All right then." she stated in her usual cool tone, "You were at an adoption agency. Why?"

"I was there with Sirius and Arabella. They're trying to adopt me."

"Good for them." Katlin answered in a less than interested tone. "You got taken from the agency. By who?"

Harry stared up at her, not answering.

"Orion Black?" Katlin supplied.

Harry tried his best not to look surprised.

"It's not that hard to figure out, Harry." Katlin put in. "The Deatheaters knew you were with Orion in the car. It only stands to reason he was the one you left the building with, yes?"

Harry nodded.

"All right, then." She said pleasantly. "Mr. Black figured you were being followed by Deatheaters?"

Harry nodded.

"He tried to lose them by abandoning the car and ducking down an alleyway?"

Harry nodded again.

"All right. Now, give me the last part again. Slowly!" she emphasized. "How did you end up in that alleyway alone?"

Harry took a breath. "Orion said we could just apparate back to his house. But I guess he didn't know I can't apparate. And he disappeared before I could tell him."

"Idiot." Katlin whispered as she glanced out at the street, leaving Harry wondering is she meant him or Orion. But she quickly turned a slightly concerned expression to him. "Why didn't you just wait for Mr. Black to come back, Harry?"

"Because the alleyway only had one opening." Harry explained. "And if the Deatheaters found me, I couldn't have gotten away. So I thought the best thing to do was get out of the alleyway and try and get back to the adoption agency. I didn't stop running until I felt I was far enough away from them. Then you grabbed me and..." Harry glanced back out at the street as well, then turned back to Katlin. "...and why didn't anyone notice that? I thought I was screaming bloody murder?"

"Trust me," Katlin replied with a slight grimace at the memory, rubbing her ear, "you were. And the reason they didn't react to the ruckus you were making was because the minute you stepped out of that alleyway, I placed a spell around you that hid you from muggles and wizards alike. No one could see or hear you. Little trick I've picked up along the way." She added with a small wink.

Harry remember the spell Katlin had taught him once before about concealing objects. The same one he had used to sneak her wand into her at the Ministry prison, allowing her to escape. Likely it was the same spell she had used on him.

"Well," she added, looking down at him as she crossed her arms in front of her, "I guess the only thing left to do is send you home."

"But what about Orion? How will he know where I am?"

Katlin waved his concern off. "The Unspeakable deserves to worry for being so careless. Teach him a good lesson about caring for a child. Hopefully he'll be more attentive in the future. All right then," Katlin stated with a small trace of a smile. "Ready to go home?"

Harry almost put in that home to him was with Sirius and Arabella and that was where he wanted to be sent. But knowing what Katlin meant, he simply nodded his head.

Katlin reached into her robes and pulled a small green stone. She handed it to Harry, who looked it over curiously. It looked much like the stone Arabella had used once to transport them to Hogwart's after the Deatheaters attacked the house.

"The key will take you directly to the Black Estate once it's activated, Harry. So you don't need to worry about being hi-jacked or so in mid-apparation. Once you get there, if Mr. Black isn't there, you stay in the house. You understand? Don't go outside. Not for anything."

"But if he's looking for me, how will he know I'm there?" Harry asked.

"Don't worry about that." Katlin assured him. "He'll know."

"But..."

"Harry, just trust me, all right?"

Harry nodded again. Katlin had never asked him to do anything that place him intently in harms way.

"Very good." Katlin smiled at him. "Now, just tell the key where you want to go, and you'll be there before you blink."

Harry looked up at her for a second. He had genuinely missed her since they parted company last, and in his opinion the reunion had been much to short. "Am I going to see you again?" he ask tentatively.

Katlin favored him with one of her most charming smiles. "Oh, I won't be the least bit surprised, Harry."

Harry looked down at the stone, then turned back to Katlin, a little unsure about the stone. But the warm smile was gone. And in its place was a very stern, no nonsense expression.

"The Deatheaters do know where you are, Harry Potter." She said in a quiet, low tone which Harry recognized as the one she adopted when she was back in her Deatheater role. "And it won't take them long to find you."

Harry paused for a second more. "Thank you, Katlin." He said softly.

He just caught the small smile on her lips as he told the key to take him to the Black estate. Then she fade from view.

Indeed, before he could even blink, Harry found himself standing inside the entranceway of the Black estate. Harry looked at the little stone on his hand. The trip had been much like the one he had taken when Arabella had used the similar stone to get them to Hogwarts. It wasn't nearly as rough a ride as a port-key. And you arrived almost before you knew you left. Harry started to wonder why the magic community didn't just use these things instead of port-keys. But he was quickly distracted from his thoughts as he wondered if Orion was there or not. Harry stood in the foyer and called out Orion's name several times. But not getting any answer, he decided Orion must have gone looking for him.

But what if Orion had gone back to the alleyway? What if he had met the Deatheaters there? He'd be in much the same trap Harry had tried to escape from. Harry started to wonder if the stone would work twice. If it would take him to the alleyway if he asked it to. But he quickly stopped, remembering what Katlin had told him. She had said to stay in the house, and that Orion would know he was there.

Maybe the house had some sort of alarm system that let Orion know if anyone was inside of it. And if he left, and Orion came there looking for him, that would just start the whole thing over again.

Harry sighed quietly and sat down on the small bench in the foyer and decided to wait.

The wait wasn't a long one. A few minutes later a loud pop echoed through the foyer as Orion apparated into the middle of the foyer. He rounded on Harry with an extremely unhappy look.

"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't apparate?" He asked, nearly yelling the question at him.

Harry pulled back quickly, looking up at the man with a frightened stare. "You didn't ask." Was all he could think to say.

"That's no answer!"

"You didn't give me time." Harry answered again. "And besides," He added, coming to his own defense, "you never even gave me the chance. You just assumed I could and disappeared."

"You're fortunate to be alive." Orion stated firmly past a hard stare that he fixed on the teenager. "You were right in the middle of a hot bed of Deatheaters. It's amazing you managed to evade them and escape. Now," he added, grabbing Harry by the arm and more or less marching him out of the foyer, "you and I are going to have a chat. You are going to lay out for me exactly what it is you can and can't do. And if you say you can do it, you're going to show me. There's no more room for guess work here."

And so for the next three hours Harry found himself subjected to a session of questions and practical wand work that made his OWLS seem easy by comparison. But at the end of the three hours, Orion seemed a good deal calmer and even appeared impressed at Harry's level of magical ability.

"You're very advanced for your age, Harry." Orion stated. "Even I didn't know a lot of the spells you're able to perform at your age. But you're still not at any sort of a level to be able to properly defend yourself against Deatheaters. As I said, you're very fortunate to be alive right now. My job is to keep you that way.

Toward that end, I have to asked you to follow my rules to the letter. We'll be going over those tomorrow. But for now, know that the house is well protected. As long as you stay inside of it, you'll be safe. And you are never, never to leave this house if I'm not with you. No one else. You understand? Only me."

Harry nodded. But a thought suddenly stuck him. "How did you know I escaped the Deatheaters?" He asked. Orion had only said he knew he did. But he had never once asked how.

"You're alive. You obviously escaped." the Unspeakable answered matter of factly.

"But you never asked 'how'." Harry replied. "Don't you want to know?"

Orion gave him a small hint of a smile. "I know how you escaped, Harry." He answered plainly. "There's no need to discuss it."

"But..." Harry began. Surely Orion didn't know the whole story.

"Harry, I know exactly what happened. Now, as long as you follow the rules, I doubt we'll have any similar situations arise. All right?"

Harry nodded slightly. He simply couldn't understand Orion's apparent lack of interest in his miraculous escape and safe return to the Estate. But then Harry remembered what it was Orion did for a living. He was an Unspeakable. Surely they had ways of finding out almost anything they wanted to know.

But no one had seen he or Katlin together. How could anyone have known what happened except the two of them.

Harry's mind latched onto that thought. Only two people knew. He hadn't told Orion anything. But Orion claimed he knew exactly what happened.

That left only one person who could have told him.

Harry almost voiced his question, but bit it back suddenly. He had just been through three hours of questions and tests. And he wasn't sure how Orion would react to the question to begin with. So he simply kept silent.

Orion glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Dinner should be ready soon." He stated as though it were the normal progression of the conversation they had been having. "I would imagine you're hungry, having missed lunch."

Harry suddenly noticed just how hungry he actually was. He had been too nervous to eat much breakfast that morning, and indeed hadn't even had lunch. Although having been in the middle of Orion's questions and testing at the time, he hadn't much noticed if he was hungry or not. All he had felt was nervous. But now his stomach complained loudly as he glanced up at the man sitting across the room from him.

"Dinner is usually served at seven." Orion stated. "I assume you remember where the dining room is?"

Harry nodded.

"And your old room?"

Harry nodded again.

"Very good." Orion headed for the door. "I have some things I have to see to. You can spend the rest of the afternoon settling in, and I'll see you at supper then."

The man quickly disapparated, leaving behind a wide, gaping silence. Harry listened to the house around him. He supposed there really wasn't much else for him to do other than what Orion had said. Settle in...and hope that somewhere in the near future he would be given some answers as to what was going on.

****

Q&A

FAMILY RELATIONS

Althea:

Come, come now, Dear. A little 'innocent until proven guilty', please. Orion has his reasons. Truly he does. He is not being mean, evil, or sadistic. Just give him a chance, OK?

And if you really must cry, Dear, you go right ahead.

MasterLupin:

I'm glad you like the story, Dear.

As you saw in this chapter, indeed, a spell had been placed around Harry by Katlin. That is why no one saw or heard anything. And it was Harry's own actions that

helped Katlin place the spell. Harry was trying so hard to keep out of sight, she could easily place the spell around him, effectively causing him to vanish from sight, without anyone noticing.

Silverfox:

Hm ... You know, it just occurred to me when re-reading this: Could it be that Arabella wanted Harry to be taken away temporarily to find lout whether Sirius would still want to marry her without the boy? The way he seemed to lose all interest in the wedding all of a sudden should worry her a little, I guess. Maybe she's wondering whether he really loves her, or just wants to marry her because that's what he thinks Harry wants. Then again, Orion doesn't give the impression that he's willing to give Harry back anytime soon and I just can't believe that Arabella would want to lose him forever.

Wow! You put some serious thought into that one, Dear!

You're wrong, but I am very impressed.

Granted, Arabella is acting a little on the strange side, but she is a functioning part of everything that is going on.

And you did manage to pick up on one thing no one else has, and it is important. Sirius has shown little to no interest in something that was the sole second half of his focus, or at least should have been. The wedding.

Orion has no intention whatsoever of giving Harry back until he's told to do so by the people he is taking orders from. Orin Bale knows what's going on, but don't be so sure the rest of the Department does. But Orion is also hoping there is an end in sight. He has no designs on becoming Harry's custodian on any long term basis.

****

FAMILY LIFE

TheGodfatheroftheBoyWhoLived:

Thank you, Dear. I'm glad you liked it.

****

FEVER

Steffles:

Thank you. I'm glad you liked the story. A great many of my readers enjoyed the relationship portrayed between Remus and Snape. It is fairly consistent in my stories. I always felt that Snape and Lupin had a good basis for a friendship. Good old friendly, not-an-enemy in-the-world Lupin and I-don't-need-nobody Snape. Putting those two together is simply prime material for dialogue in my book. So I simply expanded on that in my stories.

All reviews are as of 07/17/2005.

And remember;

A hurricane actually coming through gives you a whole new respect for that '10 per cent hurricane deductible' in your homeowners insurance policy.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Tell me, did anyone catch the spell Katlin used to hide Harry from the people on the street? Where have we seen that one before and where do you suppose she learned it?

Just wondering.

Oh, you might also notice that a lot of the spelling errors are missing from this chapter. You know the ld favorites of late? First words not being capitalized and the letter 'o' missing half the time?

That's because this was written well over a year ago, when my keyboard was working right.

Just thought you'd like to know.

And as always,

Enjoy.

****

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

****

Chapter Five: First Night Away From Home

That night after dinner Orion took Harry back to his bedroom.

"I hope you found the room all right." Orion stated. "It is, I believe, the same one you stayed in the last time you were here. I thought it might help if you were somewhere familiar."

Harry only nodded slightly as he looked around the room again. One of the first things he had noticed about the room was that things oddly enough looked much as he had left them a few weeks ago. As though no one had been in the room since. And if Orion had been the only person living there all those weeks, it was, of course, likely no one had.

Harry stepped into the room, then turned around to face his new guardian.

"Is something wrong, Harry?" Orion asked. "If you don't like the room, I can..."

Harry shook his head. "No, the room's fine. It just...I don't want to sound ungrateful, Orion, but how long exactly am I to stay here? I mean...,when can I see Sirius and Arabella again?"

"I'm afraid it may be a while, Harry." he replied without expression. "In the mean time, I'll do what I can to make things comfortable for you. If you need anything, you only have to ask."

And with that Orion turned and left back down the hallway. Harry watched him for a few seconds, then shook his head again and turned back to his room.

"Good evening, Sir."

Harry jumped back abruptly.

Before him suddenly stood a short, green, house-elf.

"We is sorry, Sir." The little creature stated with a small bow. "We was not meaning to frighten Sir."

"You're a house-elf!" Harry stated as though this were only the second he'd ever seen.

"Sir is not familiar with house-elves, Sir?" The creature inquired carefully.

"Oh, no, I know about house-elves." Harry stated. "I just wasn't aware Siri...that there were any in this house. I mean, I was here before, and I never saw a house-elf the whole time."

"Well, Sir," the elf said in a tone as though he were indeed addressing someone who had no idea about house-elves, "that is the sign of a good house-elf, Sir. To not be seen. One has only to do their work to let the master know it is being done, not display themselves doing it."

"So," Harry asked, "you were here before then?"

"No, Sir." The house-elf replied. "We is belonging to Mr. Black only. Besides, the Miss' did not require us, she says."

"Miss'?"

"The lady who came with you the last time, Sir."

"Oh! Arabella."

"Says we was to go with Mr. Black, Sir. Says she would take care of the cleaning and cooking and..."The elf frowned slightly. "Says she would do it all."

"Well, Arabella likes to cook." Harry said.

"Sir does not like to cook, does Sir?" The house-elf inquired hopefully.

"Who? Me?" Harry laughed slightly. "I hate cooking. I had to do all the cooking at the Dursley's."

The house-elf positively beamed at him. "Oh, we are thanking you, Sir" He replied happily. "We is liking to cook a great deal. And we is very good at it. Cooking is what we is doing best, Sir."

"Don't you cook for Ori...for Mr. Black?"

"When he is being here, Sir." The house-elf replied dismally. "But he is not very often."

"Really?" Harry asked curiously. "Where does he go?"

The house-elf suddenly fixed Harry with a suspicious stare. "You's is getting a might bit curious, Sir's. No offense intended."

"Well, no...not at all." Harry stammered. "It just that, well, I wondered..."

"We did think you knew the master."

"Well, I do." Harry replied. "He's my godfather's brother."

"Is not acting much like yous is knowing him, Sir."

"Well, I know what he does...sort of. But I sort of wondered, I mean, does he lived here alone? I haven't seen anyone else since I got here, and I was wondering if..."

"You is wondering too much, Sir's." The house-elf suddenly declared in a not so friendly manner.

Harry blinked and suddenly the little creature was standing on the rim of a vase that was seated on a small pedestal next to the door, giving him a very interrogating look.

"In fact, we's is thinking maybe you is here for other reasons, Sir's. That maybes you is after my master. We's is thinking that maybes you's is...a Deatheater!" He suddenly pronounced with all the flamboyance of a television lawyer as he pointed a small, thin finger at Harry.

"A what!" Harry stated.

"You is here after my master. I's knowing you are. You have been discovered, Sir's. I's is catching the Deatheater!"

"You're nutters!" Harry exclaimed. "I'm no Deatheater!"

"You is." The little elf stated firmly, getting right up to Harry's face.

"Tets." A quiet voice came from behind Harry.

The little elf immediately pulled back and, for balancing on the rim of a vase, Harry thought did a very good impression of someone standing at attention.

"Yes, Sir's?" The House-elf asked in a much more subdued voice.

Harry turned around to see Orion standing behind him again.

"I know I didn't just hear you insulting my guest."

"Was not insulting your guest, Sir's."

"Tets." Orion stated in the same quiet, even tone.

"Yes, Sir's?"

"Tets, Harry is not a Deatheater. He is my nephew. And this is not a muggle spy movie, this is my house. Kindly get on with your work."

"We is getting on with our work, Sir's."

"Very good, Tets." Orion stated as the little creature disappeared with a slight 'pop'.

Harry looked up at Orion as he sighed quietly.

The older man met his questioning stare with a small smile. "He really is good at what he does." Orion explained. "I'm afraid living with me has...corrupted him just a little, though."

"Corrupted him?"

"Sorts through all the mail for hidden spells, roams the grounds looking for intruders. Thinks everyone who comes into the house is a Deatheater. The little bugger practically had me tied up in the basement one day, insisting I was just someone impersonating me. Threatened to sack him if he didn't let me go. So he agreed to untie me."

"Just like that?" Harry thought a house-elf that would give into a threat so easily wasn't really trying.

"Well, Harry, people can threaten to sack you, and then people can threaten to sack you. You see?"

Harry was pretty sure he did as he nodded quickly.

"But just be careful around Tets, all right? I really think he's watched one too many of my spy movies on the DVD player."

"Spy movies?" Harry asked. He was about to asked about the DVD player as well, since the last thing he would have expected to find in the house were muggle devices. Certainly they had had a few while he, Arabella, and Sirius were living there. But they were mostly things brought from the cottage that they took with them when they left. But he decided to let it go. Maybe, like Arabella, Orion just liked certain muggle devices. Which indeed seemed the case from his answer.

"Whole collection of them." Orion announced proudly. "I find them extremely entertaining. Some of the things muggles can think up." He chuckled softly.

"I just never knew a wizard that collected anything muggle. Well, except Mr. Weasley."

"Ah, yes. Arthur. Good man, Arthur. Always meaning to go have a drink with him or something, just never get around to it. Very knowledgeable about Muggle items. Always thought he might be able to help me out with some of the ones I have that are giving me a bit of trouble."

"You have muggle things?" Harry asked.

"Lots of them." Orion replied. "If you like, tomorrow I'll show you some of them, all right?"

Harry was about to point out to Orion he had grown up in a muggle household, and showing him a toaster might not get the awed response Orion was expecting. But he decided to let it go for the moment. The fact was he was feeling a bit tired and was looking forward to going to bed.

"All right." Harry agreed. "I'll see you in the morning then."

"If you have any more problems with Tets, just tell him to call me. I'll sort him out fast enough."

Harry only nodded as he watched Orion walk off again down the corridor, then quietly closed the door.

Harry quickly got ready for bed and was soon settling himself underneath the large, plush green comforter on the double bed. But as he lay in the bed, staring at the canopy above him, a sudden idea came to him.

Sitting up in the bed, Harry reached over and put his glasses back on.

"Tets." Harry called.

With a soft 'pop' the little elf appeared at the end of Harry's bed.

"Sir's that is not a Deatheater, yes, Sir's?" He asked politely.

"Tets, can I asked you something about Orion, without you thinking I'm being nosey or that I'm a Deatheater?" Harry asked. Knowing fully well how House-elves were about discussing anything about the families they served, he felt it was best to ask.

"Oh, nots to worry, Sir's." Tets replied with a friendly smile. "Master is saying you is his nephew. You is family."

"Right." Harry agreed. "Family. So, you can tell me some things about my Uncle Orion, can't you?"

"Like what, Sir's?"

"Well, like what it is he does for the Ministry of Magic."

"Sir's does not know?" The house-elf asked with a tone Harry recognized all too well from the last time when he had ended up accused of being a Deatheater.

"Well, I know he works for the Department of Mysteries."

"Then why is Sir's asking?"

"Well, I though maybe you know what sort of things he does."

"My master does all sorts of things for the ministry, Sir's." Tets answered proudly. "He's very important. They depends on him a great deal, they do."

"But what sorts of things does he do for them, Tets? I mean, you say he's away from the house a lot. Is that because of his work?"

"I's would not be knowing that, Sir's." Tets replied. "The master is not telling Tets about those things."

Harry thought it was more likely Orion had told Tets what to say in answer to that question more than that he never told his House-elf where he went when he would be away from the house for extended periods.

"O.K.." Harry replied, carefully rephrasing the question. "I understand if Orion doesn't want you to tell me, Tets. I mean, considering what he does for the ministry, most of his business must be pretty top secret stuff, huh?"

"Oh, it is, Sir's." Tets replied. "You has no idea the sorts of stuffs my master does for thems at the ministry." But the little House-elf stopped himself abruptly and frowned at Harry. "Not that I's know anything about it, Sir's." he added defiantly.

"I'm sure not, Tets." Harry replied, sensing he wasn't really going to get anywhere with the overly well-trained house elf. "Well, thanks anyway, Tets. Good night."

"Sleep well, Sirs. Tets is keeping watch over house. So not to worrys."

Harry watched the little creature disappear, not sure if he found comfort in that thought or not.

****

Q&A

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SIRIUSLY BORED

DiabloCat:  
I'm very glad you liked it, Dear. The story was written just as a lark. Purely for fun.

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FAMILY RELATIONS

She said maybe:

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And Harry will now sit down and follow every rule?

Interesting name, Dear.

Heavens! Where do you get such an idea? He's a teenager. But first he has to get the 'lay of the land' so-to-speak. Find out what the rules are. Then he can start breaking them.

Also, Harry has a good relationship with Sirius and knows just how far he can push. He has to learn a whole new game plan with Orion, who is no novice to raising teenagers.

MasterLupin:  
**wow, now I am no psycologist but it seems to me that Harry is now ripe for a depretion to set in. Because here he was excited about getting new parents the first in he would ever know, and sudenly he is snached from that. thrown into a house with no one in it and the person who has sezed custdy of him dosn't seem the parenting type, if anything Orion dosn't know the first thing about taking care a teenager, and Harry would relize that soon. oh well thats my toughts anyway, post again soon.**

I am just starting to love you. You ask nice long questions.

Well, you may not be a psychologist, Dear, but you play a pretty good one on the net.

Harry would be pretty ripe indeed for a good old case of depression. If he had the time. Believe me, the boy is not going to be bored.

What do you mean 'doesn't seem the parenting type'? I've got five kids, three of them teenagers, who will swear this man is not the parenting type. (Teenagers can be so cruel.)

They will also swear on a stack of bibles he hasn't got the first clue about taking care of teenagers and seeing to their needs.

In other words, he's the perfect father. He's strict to a point, he doesn't give in easily, and he expects you to give as good as you get. He also absolutely loves them to embarrassment.

Poor Harry has no idea what he's in for.

FreedomStar:

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what I want to ask is..how the hell does Orion know where Harry went and what happened with that concealment spell on him...

Now, see, here's were reading other stories first comes in handy.

How does Orin know all that? Very simple, Dear, he went to the source...or more accurately, the source came to him. Namely, his wife. Katlin Griss Herkle Black. And you can bet that was one long lecture about child care.

See what you miss by not reading other stories?

Reviews are as of 07/24/2005.

And remember;

You are never on the same power grid as the person living next door to you. Which explains why they have power during a hurricane and you don't.

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	7. Chapter 7

A/N: You'll note in this chapter that Sirius' father is mentioned. I gave him the name 'Talon'. I got the name from a story I read once before and I thought it truly suited the man who would be Sirius Black's father. Unfortunately, I don't remember the story, nor the author, so I can't give credit where credit is due. If anyone knows the story or the author, I'll gladly give credit.

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Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

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Chapter Six: Family

Harry woke up that night with a start. In a moment of panic he didn't know where he was as he looked about the strange room. It was larger than his room at the cottage and everything was in the wrong place.

But as he sleep-fogged brain woke up a little more, he remembered where he was...and why.

Sighing to himself, Harry laid back down on his pillow. But after what seemed like endless attempts to go back to sleep, he finally got up and, pulling his robe around him, padded his way down the carpeted corridor towards the stairs.

Making his way downstairs, Harry eventually found his way to large main room, with the fire burning low in the fireplace. But it still cast a friendly glow about the room. Harry seated himself in the well stuffed sofa and settled down to watch the fire for a while, hoping he would eventually just fall back asleep.

He was just finding himself lulled into a half-sleep when a voice behind him woke him with a start.

"Bed's not comfortable enough?"

Harry turned about and looked over the back of the sofa to see Orion standing in the doorway. Without answering he turned back to the fire and sank back onto the sofa.

Orion came around the side and sat down next to him.

"So, couldn't sleep?"

Harry continued to stare at the fire as he shook his head.

"Care to talk about it?"

Harry shook his head again.

"Look, Harry," Orion said, "I know I'm not the greatest company. And right now I'm little more than a glorified baby-sitter..."

"I don't need a baby-sitter." Harry replied bleakly.

"No. But you do need protection."

"From what?"

"You honestly have to asked that?"

"Then you shouldn't have taken me away from Sirius and Arabella. They were protecting me and were doing the job just fine."

Orion sat silently on the sofa staring back at him.

Harry sat on the sofa for some time in silence, staring once again at the dwindling fire. A thousand questions were running about in his mind, but one more prominent than the rest.

"Why did you take me away from Sirius and Arabella?" He asked finally.

"I've already told you, Harry. I can't answer that for you. Not yet."

Harry sulked back down into the sofa.

Orion sighed quietly in the growing darkness. "Harry, I didn't want to do what I did. I promise you that. More than anything in the world I hope the day comes, and very soon, that I can take you back to Sirius and Arabella. They have waited so long, and worked so hard to get custody of you." Orion paused as he stared down at his hands. "I remember when your parents were killed. All Sirius talked about was how he was going to 'get you away from those muggles'. You were his godson, he used to tell me. Said he should be the one raising you. Then suddenly he was the one standing accused of their murders. Shortly after that he was accused of killing Peter Pettigrew and all those muggles as well."

"Did you think he did it?" Harry asked softly. "Did you think he was a murderer?"

"My brother?" Orion chuckled softly. "Never. Sirius was a lot of things. But he was no murderer. I knew that for a fact."

"You knew for a fact? How?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Harry. But I did know without question my brother was innocent."

"Then why didn't you tell someone. Try and get him out?"

"Harry, I tried for years to get my brother released. Right up to his escape."

"But you said you knew for sure he was innocent."

"And I did."

"Couldn't you have told whatever it was you knew to someone. I mean, this was Sirius' life. He might have died in Azkaban."

"Don't start trying to re-write the past, Harry. Sirius didn't die in Azkaban."

"But he could have. Why didn't you tell the ministry what you knew?"

Orion started at Harry for a moment. Then he sighed quietly. "Because the source of that information would not have been accepted by the ministry."

"Why not?"

Orion sighed again as he turned to the fire. "Because the information came from a Deatheater, Harry. So you see, it wouldn't have made any difference at all."

Harry thought over the information. "But you believed them." He said finally. "And you're an Unspeakable. They might have believed you."

"It wouldn't have matter to them if I was the Minister of Magic, Harry. And for myself, I had very good reason to believe this person. Reason that didn't extend, unfortunately, to the ministry."

"Reason?"

"Personal reasons, Harry."

Harry turned to the man sitting next to him. "But when Sirius escaped from Azkaban, he came to you for help. Dumbledore said he left because he was afraid you were going to turn him over to the ministry."

"And did I? I can't help what my brother thinks, Harry. And quite frankly, when he came to me that night, I don't believe he was thinking very clearly at all. You never saw him his first days out of that place. He was more animal than human. I could hardly even talk to him or make him understand me. I think at the time Sirius only understood two things. Friends and enemies. If you weren't one, you were the other. No gray areas."

"But Dumbledore said the ministry came to the house, and you told them if Sirius came there, he wouldn't be welcome."

"And where was my brother at that time, Harry? Did the Headmaster tell you that as well?"

Harry shook his head.

"Sirius was hiding in the attic. I was giving him shelter in the house. An act that could have landed me in a cell right along with him. And believe me, the ministry went through this house with a fine tooth comb. But they never found him."

"Why not?"

"Because he had a concealment charm placed on him. A very powerful one. It's not easy to conceal a small object, like a person. Contrary to how people would look at it, the larger the object, the easier it is to conceal."

"How come?"

"That's just the way the spell works, Harry. When it was originally developed, it's purpose was to conceal wizarding activities from muggles. Large things, like castles and buildings, were where the spell was to be placed. So as the object gets smaller that you want to conceal, the more adjustments needed to make the spell do what you want it too, you see? To conceal a person takes a great deal of focus and skill. Fortunately the person who placed the charm was very good at such spells. Unfortunately, Sirius wasn't very good at the time in understanding we were trying to help him, and he was prone to run when he saw strangers. So I was forced to put a binding spell on him as well at the time. He viewed that as a hostile move on my part. And after I released him as soon as the ministry was gone, so was he.

I didn't see my brother again until a full year later, when he came to see me shortly before the start of your fourth year."

"He came here?"

"No. I was on a mission at the time in Scotland. Sirius apparently saw me and followed me to where I was staying. No small wake-up call, let me tell you, to open your front door to find your Daily Prophet being held by a set of very large white teeth attached to a very large black dog. I guess bringing me the paper was his way of making a peace offering."

"Why did he come to see you?"

"Said he just wanted to talk to me. He explained why he had run that day from the house. Why he hadn't contacted me in the past year. But mostly he talked about you. Merlin's Beard! The man couldn't stop rambling. I felt like some poor soul trapped in at a social gathering by a man eager to tell anybody he could corner about his pride and joy. You'd have thought you were his only child."

Harry smiled slightly at the description. "So, what sort of things did he say about me?"

Orion's face broke into the first genuine smile Harry thought he had seen on it. "My, my. Aren't we suddenly very interested in the conversation."

"Well, you know...sometimes Sirius exaggerates. How do I know if what he told you was the truth?"

"Well, he said you were the splitting image of your father. He got that right, I assume you'll agree?"

Harry frowned and nodded. "So someone's always telling me if I stay in one spot too long."

"And he said he had seen you playing Quidditch. Said you were a natural flyer, just like..."

"...my dad." Harry finished. "Yeah. Heard that one too."

"Well, he said you had your mother's..."

"...eyes. Heard that one too." Harry finished for him.

"And he said you nearly killed him when you first met."

Harry sat silent for a minute, unsure of how to respond.

"Not right?" Orion asked.

"No." Harry said after a minute in a slightly small, embarrassed tone. "That's true as well." He looked back up at Orion. "But at the time I didn't know who he was. I believed what everyone had told me about him. That he had been responsible for my parents being killed by Voldemort."

"He also said you saved his life. The Minister already had the Dementors at the castle. They were on their way to give him the Kiss when you helped him escape."

Harry sat silent again. He wasn't sure if he should admit to an Unspeakable that he had helped a wanted convict escape.

Orion seemed to again easily sense his concern as well as the reason behind it. "I'm not going to turn you over to the ministry for it, Harry." Orion promised. "If anything, I'm very grateful to you for saving my brother's life. If I had known the danger Sirius was in, I doubt I'd have done less for him."

"Did you know any of what was going on?" Harry suddenly asked with a keen interest.

"I knew my brother had escaped Azkaban, of course." Orion answered, staring at the ceiling as he thought. "Especially since he spent his first few days of freedom under my roof. After that I had no idea where he went when he left the house. Then there was the report of him turning up in Hogwarts, nearly killing that boy in his bed."

"Sirius wasn't attacking Ron!" Harry quickly defended his godfather. "He was after Ron's pet rat, Scabbers...ummmm...well, Peter, who was hiding as a rat."

"I know the story, Harry. You don't need to defend my brother's actions to me. Sirius may be a little reckless, even foolhardy at times. But he's not insane, and he's no murderer."

"Why didn't you come to Hogwarts when they saw Sirius there?" Harry questioned. If Orion cared so much for his brother, Harry reasoned, he would have thought the Unspeakable would have rushed to try and locate Sirius before the ministry or the Dementors.

"Because Fudge was a step ahead of me." Orion stated with a slight harshness in his tone. "Don't ever mistake the man for a complete fool, Harry. I know a lot of people think he is. But he's not. Fudge knew I would try and find Sirius first. And if I had gotten hold of him before the ministry, he'd have disappeared like smoke in the wind. They would never have found him once I got done with him. I could have sent him anywhere in the world as anyone. Or I could have hidden him under Fudge's nose and he'd still have never found him."

"So why didn't you come looking for him?"

"Because Fudge arranged to have me sent out on an 'extended' mission just after Sirius' arrival at Hogwarts. Made sure I was nowhere in the area or had a chance to be. Sent me off with a whole group of other agents. Man must have thought I was utterly daft not to see the cloak being pulled over my eyes with that one. I knew well enough he wanted me as far from Sirius as he could get me and he wanted me watched to make sure I stayed there. And he managed it." Orion sighed quietly in the growing dark. Harry could see how solemn his face suddenly became as he thought back over those days. "Sometimes," he said after a long silence filled the room, "I wonder if Sirius ever knew how worried I was then? How frightened I was for him? How very much I wished he would show up on the doorstep one day."

Harry sat silently staring at the man next to him.

Orion finally turned to his stare, giving him a slight smile. "Not really, huh?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know." He answered honestly. "Sirius never mentioned you. I didn't even know he had a brother until we came to live at the house this summer."

"Oh, that's lovely." Orion said half-heartedly. "Exorcizes me by ignoring I exist."

"Well," Harry began slowly, "I think Sirius sort of thinks you're mad at him or something."

"Mad at him?"

"Whenever I asked questions about you, Sirius just sort of mumbled his replies and changed the subject. Most of what I learned about you I learned from Professor Lupin."

"Remus Lupin? Rotten source of information. Hardly knows me."

"He seemed to know an awful lot." Harry admitted.

Orion smiled slightly, turning back to the fire. "Of course he would. Werewolf has his nose in everybody's business half the time. Always did."

Harry looked stunned. "You know Professor Lupin's a werewolf?"

"Of course." Orion answered. "That's part of what I do, Harry. Hun...track werewolves. Things like them. Stuff like that." Orion finished quickly.

Harry suddenly felt a growing surge of dislike for the man sitting next to him.

"Professor Lupin doesn't need 'tracking'." Harry replied heatedly. "He would never hurt anybody."

"Then he's the exception, Harry. Look," Orion stated, "I didn't mean to imply anything or insult your friend. But you've only known one werewolf, am I right?"

Harry paused, then nodded.

"Believe me, their not all soft and cuddly or teach your favorite subjects. Most werewolves are dangerous, ferocious creatures who wouldn't think so much as once, let alone twice, about ripping you down the middle because you were in their way. Now, I know Remus Lupin is a good teacher and well liked by his students. But I've also seen what a werewolf can do. And there's nothing cute or cuddly about it. That's one of the reasons the ministry keeps a registry of known lycanthropes."

"So what do you do with the werewolves you track?" Harry asked.

"Just that." Orion answered flatly. "We track of them."

"Why?"

"The werewolves we track, Harry, are ones who haven't registered. And there's a lot more of them out there than you would imagine. And usually the ones that don't register are the ones who need to. They're usually the most dangerous. And there are a few misguided souls out there helping them. A man by the name of Aaron Richards is probably the worst of those people. Runs a regular Underground Railroad for werewolves. Helps them resettle if they need to. Gets them jobs, houses, even new identities if necessary. All to keep them out of the registry."

"Why?"

Orion sighed as he turned to the teenager sitting next to him. "Because they think that we're trying to hurt them, Harry. And all we're doing, in fact, is trying to keep society safe. And if the lycanthropes would just think for a minute, they would realize the registry is for their benefit too. It lets people know if there's a werewolf in the area. That way, people know to be more careful in that area around the full moon. And we can check up on them as well. See that they're all right. Make sure they're adhering to the laws. For their safety and others. It also helps us keep better track of where they are. So if one attacks someone, we'll know if there's one in the area and we can stop him before someone else has to be hurt."

"But Professor Lupin..." Harry jumped to his former teacher's defense again.

"Did I say I was putting you to bed early so I could go chat up your friend?" Orion asked pointedly. "I know Remus Lupin, Harry." Orion went on. "And I would no more suspect him in a crime like that than I would...well, Sirius."

Harry turned his attention quickly to the fire.

"Look," Orion pointed out, "I'm not some...werewolf hunter. That's not what I do. But for heaven's sake, boy, don't go out into the world thinking every werewolf you come across is going to run up and throw his arms around you. They're not all Remus Lupin, Harry."

Harry turned to Orion. But his expression remained set in a hard stare.

"Listen, I can't be all that bad." He added quietly. "After all, Sirius did give you over to me to take care of, didn't he? And you trust Sirius?"

"Sirius didn't exactly seem very keen on you this summer." Harry replied flatly.

Orion sighed again. "I know there are people, Harry, who think my brother and I don't get along. They thought it all through school because of...a certain event that happened between us. And I know it may seem at times that Sirius would rather walk right back into Azkaban than even think of spending one hour in a room with me. But remember this. Sirius is my brother. And there is no one in this world that I love more than him. And no one I would protect more fiercely. He always is, always has been, and always will be, my little brother. And I hope more than anything in this world that someday his name is cleared, as it should be, and we can finally put our family back together."

The word suddenly caught Harry's attention anew. "Family?"

Orion turned to him. "Well, that's right." He said suddenly brightening at the thought. "You have a whole family you don't even know about yet, do you?"

Harry shook his head. Truthfully, he was happy to leave the other subject behind. He had suddenly found himself knowing more about Orion Black than he wanted to. But the new subject promised to be far more interesting at the moment.

"Well?" Harry prodded hopefully when Orion didn't continue.

"Didn't Sirius mention anyone to you?"

Harry shook his head again. "There were a lot of pictures around the house." He remembered. "But Sirius didn't say much about the people in them."

Orion reached over to a small framed picture sitting on the table by the sofa. "Well, Harry, I think it's time you got to know your new family." He said.

Harry quickly moved over to look at the picture. In it were a group of people, most of who were smiling and waving happily.

"This," Orion pointed to a tall, thin, woman, "is your grandmother, Adrianna Black."

"Grandmother?" Harry asked in a low, but excited tone. He had never had a grandmother before. And he never imagined one quite so pretty. In fact, the word didn't do her justice. The woman was, in Harry's opinion, absolutely beautiful. In the picture she wore a bright green robe, trimmed in thin gold lines. Her face was a flawless piece of sculpted perfection, crowned by a long flowing mane of raven black hair.

"She's very pretty." Harry whispered almost to himself.

"Just don't call her a grandmother right off. It'll take some getting used to for her. She was quite sure between all of us she was going to remain...ah...grandmotherless." Orion added, testing the validity of the word.

"Whose that?" Harry asked, pointing to the man standing by his newly acquired grandmother. The man was only slightly taller than the woman he stood next to, and wore a set expression on his clean-shaven face. He wore elegant black robes that hid most of his body, so Harry wasn't sure if the man was thin or fat. But his shoulders were extremely broad under the robes and his arms, as far as they showed under the robes, seemed equally well-toned. Of all the people in the picture, he was by far the least animated of them as he seemed to simply stand and stare out at them. Like the woman, his hair was raven black, which he had pulled back so Harry couldn't tell how long it was. If he was any role model, Harry was betting it made it past his shoulders at least.

"That," Orion announced, " is your grandfather, Talon Black."

"Looks kind of stern." Harry put in.

"Then he looks kind of right." Orion answered. "Dad's no slacker in discipline, that's for sure. Tanned our hides more than once. But nobody could love you more either. He'll just be wild about you, that's for sure. Like mum, was pretty sure there were no grandchildren in his future."

"Well, I'm not really..."

Orion waved off the comment quickly enough. "Won't matter to them." He stated. "If you're the reason Sirius gets married and settles down, they'll proclaim you a god and build an alter to you. Since they always swore that's what it would take to perform that miracle."

Harry stifled a laugh as he looked at the rest of the people in the photograph. "Who are the rest?" he ask.

"Aunts and uncles, all on Mom's side."

"What about your father?" Harry ask. "Aren't there any aunts and uncles on his side?"

Harry swore he could practically see the light go out in the man's eyes. Although he still stared at the photograph, he suddenly seemed a thousand miles away.

"No." he answered finally. "There's just my father. He had no siblings."

"Well, have I got any great uncles or aunts?" Harry ask curiously.

Orion placed the photograph back on the table beside the sofa. "I think that's enough history lessons for one night." he stated, his tone offering no room for argument. "I think it's time you went back to bed, Harry."

Harry took one last look at the picture before pulling himself up from the sofa and headed back up to his room.

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Q&A

FAMILY RELATIONS

TheGodfatheroftheBoyWhoLived:

Dear! Shorter names? Does it mean anything to you!

Anyway, thank you just the same. Always nice to hear from my readers, no matter if their names are just about as long as most countries alphabets.

MasterLupin:

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Oh well thank you for say that I play the role of psychologist, I am honored. I work in my high school theater department, though I am not an actor. Any way the reason that I thought that Orion would not make a good parent was that. One he dosen't seem to be doing this from the stand point of Harry's best intrests, more his own gain. Two he is never at home apperintly, I don't know what single parent would leave a teenage boy such as Harry(or any teenage boy for that matter) alown in a home that he would rather not be in, but in another with someone else. Three it's Harry, he has never had any sort of real parentage (more like a very nice form of Auschwitz) he could take anything that Orion dose the wrong way; and I doubt (although I am not the author and do not know) Orion really understands that. Post again soon, I like the crazzy house elf who likes spy movies.

I don't know, Dear. The field just seems to fit with your name. I sort of always saw Lupin as Hogwarts unofficial school consulor.

Anyway, on to your comments.

There is nothing in this for Orion unless the man gets his fun from late nights, early mornings, and more trouble than a lair full of Deatheaters could ever get themselves into. (Let's face it, raising a teenager isn't fun.)

Next, you're sort of right. Orion's work does keep him away from the house a great deal of the time, just as Tets said. However, considering that Harry is his job right now, Orion will likely be sticking to the boy like proverbial glue.

Oh, Dear, you have this wrong I'm afraid. First, since Harry isn't use to 'real parenting', he should fit right in, if Orion was that way, which he isn't. Orion is, in fact, a very good father. Even his own five would (begrudgingly) admit that.

Next, what teenager is going to take anything an adult says the right way? As for Harry, Orion isn't mistreating the boy. At worst, he's looking at him for what he is, his assignment. But Orion does care about Harry, who is his potential nephew, and he's nt going to let anything happen to him.

Tets is as much a favorite as Bo sometimes.

Skahducky:

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Oh dear, I haven't been here to check for updates in a long time, and I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to continue to do so for another month. I'll be sure to get back to fanfiction in September, though. I was sort of hoping that Katlin would send Harry back to Sirius and Arabella, but I don't think she'd have done it even if Harry asked. When's Harry going to find out about Katlin and Orion being married? Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

I will miss you, Dear. Hurry back.

Katlin knew that if Orion had Harry, there had to be a reason. And Orion had to have gotten him by taking him from Sirius and Arabella. So, following logic, she decided the best thing to do was to send the boy back to who he was last with and let them sort it out. Hence, Orion. And no, had Harry ask to be sent back to Sirius and Arabella, Katlin would still have sent him back to Orion.

Oh, now there's an interesting question. When is Harry going to find out Orion and Katlin are married? Well, he will find out in this story, I'll tell you that much. But not for a while. But consider how that will go over. The boy certainly has an interesting step-family. His mother and father were Aurors, his step-father is an Auror, his step-mother is an interrogator for the Ministry of Magic, his uncle is an Unspeakable, and his aunt is an Elite Deatheater. It's gotta make Christmas interesting.

Silverfox:

****

Poor Harry, once again under house arrest without actually having done anything wrong. Are you sure Orion has any experience raising kids? Looks to me like he'd be more comfortable with Auror recruits.

Lol! Tets is back! I hadn't even realised I missed him! That house elf sure is a perfect death eater identification system: If he thinks someone is a death eater, they definitely aren't.

Yes, Dear, I'm very sure Orion has experience in the child rearing department. He has five of his own. Three of whom are teenagers.

On any given day Orion would rather be heading up a group of green Aurors than walking in the front door of his house, you bet. Nothing caps off a hard day at work like coming home and being immediately hit with an enthusiastic twelve year old girl starting her greeting with, 'You'll never guess what (insert name of any older brother) did!'.

You know, I never thought about it, but Orion probably would do a lot better identifying Deatheaters if he simply went after everyone Tets was sure wasn't one.

****

FAMILY LIFE

mr.mistoffelees:

Thank you, Dear.

gatermage:

****

TENSE? dang, if that's tense, i don't want to see angry. anyway, petunia liked sirius! that's...scary.

Well, why not? Petunia was a teenager once too. And Sirius was a good looking teenage boy who hung around her house. But I agree...scary.

All reviews are as of 07/31/2005.

And remember;

Happy birthday, Harry.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Well, time for a little breather, folks. I hope you enjoy it. This chapter, and the one that follows, were written entirely for fun. There are no serious fights, altercations, or general rowdiness. No Deatheater battles, no battles to the end, no fussing, screaming, or other unpleasantness, and absolutely no one dies. These two chapters were included strictly for your enjoyment and reading pleasure.

Also, never let it be said I don't give fair warning. My surgery has been scheduled. It is on August 25th. What does this mean to you? Well, darn little at the moment. However, it may cause slightly late postings as that I have no idea just how much use of my hand I will have immediately after or even several days after the surgery. My hand is very bad off, I have been told by my doctor, and he isn't guaranteeing anything. My right hand is already suffering numbness and my left is getting to the same point. So as soon as one hand is done and healed, we are doing the other.

What is one of my biggest restricted activities going to be?

(Think about it, folks.)

That's right!

Typing! It's a big no-no.

So, please stay tuned to my bio page and I will give regular updates there as to how postings will proceed.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

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CHAPTER SEVEN: HARRY, RON, AND BO

Over the next several days Harry tried his best to be an invisible house guest. Which wasn't terribly hard since Orion wasn't home most of the time. Harry felt this sort of defeated the purpose of his supposedly being with Orion because he needed to be protected, but the Unspeakable assured him that as long as he stayed in the house, or at the very least, within the grounds, he was perfectly well protected, whether Orion was home or not.

But being your own company quickly began to wear thin with Harry, and more and more he was finding himself at a loss for anything to do. And so later that week, finding facing another 24 hours of semi-solitary confinement more than he could bear the thought of, Harry approached his guardian with what seemed to him the perfect solution.

Orion, however, failed to see it that way.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Harry ask in exasperation.

Orion held his ground. "It's a fairly simple statement, Harry." he answered, not even looking up from the paper work he was currently engaged in laying over the kitchen table. "What part of the word do you seem to be having trouble with? The 'N' or the 'O'?"

"The 'Y'." Harry replied flatly.

"There is no 'Y'." Orion answered, this time looking up with an extremely patronizing smile.

"I'm all alone here. All I'm asking is for Ron or Hermione to be allowed to come for one day. Not the whole week."

"And I'm having enough trouble watching after just you. I do not need two more teenagers in this house."

"You won't have to watch us. We're not two year olds." Harry defended.

Orion settled back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of him as he frowned at the boy in front of him. "I find that statement open to a wide variety of interpretation at the moment."

"All right. How about if I go over to Ron's for the day then?"

"Out of the question."

"Why?"

"Because the Weasley household, while I am sure is very charming in and of itself, is not protected like this house is. And I can't leave the house right now. So I couldn't be there to watch after you."

"Ron and Hermione and I can take care of ourselves."

"No."

"Then let them come here."

"No."

"Didn't you say that this house and the grounds were well protected?"

"And they are."

"Well, you sure don't seem to think so." Harry pointed out quickly. "I'm kept virtually a prisoner here."

Orion frowned again. "You're not a prisoner, Harry. You can go anywhere in the house you like and on the grounds."

"But I can't leave the grounds. I can't go anywhere and I can't have any of my friends come here. And I'm not being given a single reason for any of this. At this pint, you might as well send me to Hogwarts now. At least there I would have someone to talk to."

"You have people to talk to here."

"Who? You're never here."

"What about Tets?"

"The best conversation I've had with Tets in the past three days was more like an interrogation session."

Orion sighed to himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose. What was it with teenagers? Why couldn't they simply accept 'no' and that be the end of it? He was, after all, the parental figure. He was suppose to be the one in control.

He had presented the same argument to Katlin after a drawn out battle with one of his own teenagers. The usually calm and supportive mother had almost instantly dissolved into giggles and called him delusional.

Hence, he had learned the concept of 'compromise'.

"All right, Harry," Orion offered. "We'll negotiate."

"Negotiate?" Harry ask wearily.

"Yes. Negotiate. A simple matter by which we each give a little to get something we want. In my case, peace and quiet."

"And what do I get?"

"You," Orion stated, "get to have one, count them, one of your friends come. They can arrive in the morning, but they have to leave by early afternoon. That will hopefully placate this sudden need to have company you seem to have. And my preference is the Weasley boy. Give me a chance to talk over a few matters with his father."

Harry considered the offer for a few seconds, then quickly agreed, feeling any further pressing would get the offer withdrawn and no further ones ever placed on the table for the duration of his stay.

Early the following morning, the doorbell rang through the house.

Orion opened the front door by the third ring. He gave a pleasant smile to the two red-haired people standing on his doorstep.

"Ah, Arthur," Orion stated, shaking Mr. Weasley's hand. "Good of you to come."

Mr. Weasley stood almost formally in the doorway, shaking the man's hand. "Mr. Black. Good to meet you finally. And this," he added, pushing Ron forward a little, "is my son, Ron."

Ron turned indignantly to his father. "Dad, Sirius knows who I am."

Mr. Weasley looked down at his son. "Hmmm? What?" He asked in a confused tone.

But just then Harry came barreling down the stairs, having heard the doorbell.

"Ron!" He cried excitedly. "You made it!"

The two grabbed each other in a hug like it had been years instead of months since they had last seen each other. The foyer exploded into an echo of eager chatter as the two teenagers immediately began catching up about their respective summer holidays.

"It was very good of you to come as well, Arthur." Orion commented over the two teenagers excited voices. "I have some muggle devices I'd like you to have a look at for me. Blasted things keep breaking down and everyone at the Department says you're something of an expert with them."

"Oh!" Mr. Weasley asked, trying to keep the pride as well as the excitement out of his own voice. "Muggle devices, you say? Well, I'll be happy to take a look at them for you."

"Harry!" Orion called as Harry and Ron were headed up the stairs. "Remember the things we talked about the other night, yes? And keep a watch on the time please. Ron is only suppose to be here for a few hours. And try to stay out of trouble."

"Yes, Sir." Harry replied in a slightly dismal tone as he and Ron continued up the stairs. He felt his brain had practically fogged over as he sat the night before listening to Orion go over the list of rules he had to follow for Ron's visit. Most of them dealing with what he was and wasn't allowed to talk about. By morning Harry even remembered a few of them.

Halfway up the stairs, Ron stopped and leaned over the banner rail, watching his father and the other man disappear through a door under them.

"I thought you were staying with Orion, Harry?" He asked as he pulled back and headed after Harry up the stairs.

"I am." Harry answered in a slightly confused tone.

"So what's Sirius doing here?"

"Sirius?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"You're godfather?"

"I know who he is, Ron. But Sirius isn't here. He's at the cottage with Arabella."

Ron looked skeptical. "Then who was that at the door?"

Harry suddenly understood the confusion and snorted at his friend. "That, Ron," he explained, "was Orion."

Ron stopped short at the top landing of the stairs. "What?" He quickly leaned over the rail again. "No Way! Harry! Why didn't you say something? At least introduce me to him."

Harry pulled Ron back from over the railing. "I thought you had already."

"Well, I did. But I thought it was Sirius. Blimmy, they look alike, don't they?"

"Like Fred and George." Harry agreed. "It's really weird sometimes. I look at him, and sometimes it's like seeing Sirius standing there. Even though I know it's not."

"So, how is Sirius? And Arabella?"

"I wish I knew." Harry admitted bleakly. "I haven't seen either of them so much as once since I've been here. And Orion won't say a word about either one of them."

"What about what's going on?" Ron asked quickly. "You didn't say much in your letter."

"I couldn't. Orion said to keep it short. And he had to approve it for content before I could even send it to you."

"How come?"

"Don't know. Orion said there were just some things he didn't want me to say anything about. I guess maybe some things I might say could put Sirius or Arabella in danger. You know, if one of Vol...You-Know-Who's spies got a hold of the letter or something."

"So what is going on?" Ron asked eagerly.

The two continued on to Harry's room. "I can't really say much, Ron. Orion said I wasn't to talk about some stuff that's happened."

"But what about the adoption? What happened? The last time you owled me about it, everything was set to go. Sirius and Arabella just needed to sign some papers and stuff."

When they stepped into Harry's room, Ron momentarily lost the thread of the conversation as he took in the size of the room.

"Blimmy, Harry!" He exclaimed, looking around him. "You could get lost in this room."

"That's sort of how I feel half the time." Harry replied in a quieter tone, looking about the room himself. "It's big enough to get lost in. Back at the cottage, my room wasn't big. But at least it was home."

Ron gave him a sympathetic look. "So what is going on there?" He asked.

Harry shrugged. "Like I said. I can't really say much about what's happened. Orion says it could 'jeopardize security'. Not that he ever says what security it would be jeopardizing. All I can say is that just as Arabella and Sirius were getting ready to sign the adoption papers, Orion showed up and took custody of me away from Sirius. And until whatever is going on is settled, I have to live with him."

"Blimmy. That's weird, Harry." Ron stated. "But you haven't got any ideas what really is going on?"

Harry shrugged again. "I wish I knew something. I mean, it's O.K. here with Orion. But I miss Sirius and Arabella. And more than anything I just wish I could go home."

"Well, have you tried calling Sirius?" Ron inquired. "You know, like by fire? Maybe that would work?"

Harry quickly shook his head. "Oh no! Last time I tried doing something like that I got everybody into trouble. Especially Sirius."

"Well, surely Orion's told you something?"

Harry shook his head again. "Not a thing really. And if I asked him about what's going on, why I can't go home, he just says the time isn't right yet. Then he closes up and won't say another word about it."

"Hey! You don't think it has to do with his job, do you, Harry?" Ron asked suddenly in a hushed tone, but his face lighting up with excitement. "You know, with his being an Unspeakable?"

Harry only shook his head again. "No. I think this has something only to do with Sirius."

"Just Sirius?"

"Yeah. Orion will talk about just about anyone else. Dumbledore, Lupin, Snape, even Fudge. If I ask anything about Arabella, he gets a lot less talkative. But if I ask about Sirius, he just gives me the standard answers and then stops talking altogether. Whatever's going on, Ron, it has something to do with Sirius. I'm sure of that."

"Harry, you don't think Orion is working with Fudge and the ministry to capture Sirius, do you?"

Harry shook his head. "Orion's been protecting Sirius from the ministry, Ron. He told me he's seen Sirius a couple of times since Sirius escaped from Azkaban, and he's never contacted the ministry or even told them that he's seen Sirius."

"Well, if it's not that, then what else could it be, Harry?"

"I wish I knew. If Sirius is in some sort of trouble..."

"Does Orion have a study?" Ron suddenly blurted out, cutting Harry off in mis-sentence.

"A what?"

"A study. You know, like a den or something. One room in the house where he keeps all his papers and stuff."

Harry looked at his friend suspiciously. "Why?"

"Well, maybe he's got something in there that could tell you more about what's going on. I mean, Sirius is working for the ministry, right?"

"Yeah, but it's not common knowledge. Just certain ministry members know that."

"Is Orion one of them?"

Harry paused for a moment as he thought. "I don't really know for sure."

"But he could be?"

"I suppose, yeah."

"So maybe he has something in the study that could help us figure out what's going on."

"I don't know, Ron. I've never seen a study or den in this place. And even if he does have one, I'm willing to bet he doesn't want us in it."

Ron paused, then sat back on the bed looking resigned about the situation. "I suppose you're right, Harry." He agreed. "And you wouldn't want an Unspeakable mad at you, would you?"

"That's for sure." Harry replied.

"Well, maybe we can do something else." Ron suggested.

"Well, things might get a bit limiting." Harry explained. "I'm not allowed to leave the house."

"What? At all?"

Harry shook his head. "Not unless Orion goes with me."

Ron looked dejected. But suddenly his expression brightened. "Hey, if you can't go outside, then surely he doesn't mind us exploring."

"Exploring?"

"Yeah. This old house has gotta have a hundreds of different rooms and stuff. Could be interesting to look around."

"I don't know, Ron." Harry replied, looking doubtful. "The rooms move a lot."

Ron looked impressed rather than skeptical.

"They move?" He asked. "That is so cool, Harry! We've gotta go exploring now. Who knows what kind of rooms an Unspeakable could have around a place this big?"

"That's another point, Ron." Harry stated. "What if we get lost or something?"

"Well," Ron pointed out, "if the rooms move, there isn't much need to go very far, is there? I mean, we could stay at one door all afternoon and still explore a dozen different rooms." He hopped off the bed, grabbing Harry's arm. "Come on. It'll be fun. And maybe we'll find the study while we're at it." He added quickly.

Rolling his eyes and very reluctantly, but with no other ideas of what to do, Harry followed Ron out of the room and down the stairs.

Starting in the foyer, Ron jumped at the first door they came to. But it proved disappointingly to be nothing more than a coat closet. Ron opened and closed the door several times. But the room remained the same.

Giving Harry a slightly skeptical look, they continued on around the foyer. But by the time they had gotten half way around the entrance room, not one of the doors they had opened showed itself to be hiding anything more than boxes or dust mops, no matter how many time Ron opened and closed the door.

"You sure about the rooms changing?" Ron asked as he tried the door in front of him for the fourth time, still getting a broom closet.

"Positive." Harry replied, looking over Ron's shoulder for the fourth time. "But maybe it's just certain rooms. And maybe it doesn't work for any of these. I mean, they appear to be just coat or broom closets or such."

Ron looked around the foyer. Set off to the side, a good distance from any other door, stood a large, worn looking, wooden door.

"Let's try that one." Ron stated. "Then we'll move on."

Harry agreed, following Ron over to the door.

Ron gave the door a tug to get it open, feeling it stick in the doorframe slightly.

Harry quickly leaned around Ron's shoulder for a better look.

Expecting to see more brooms or coats, he was surprised to see a set of stairs leading down into the room. But past the first few steps, the room dissolved into complete blackness.

"So, when you see?" Harry asked.

"All whole lot of dark. " Ron replied.

"What you think is down there?"

"More dark."

Ron started forward, placing his foot on the first stair. "Well, come on." He said.

But Harry quickly grabbed his arm. "Ron, we can't go down there. "

"Why not?"

"We don't know what could be down there. "

Ron gave him a look as though that was the whole point. "Hence, the reason to 'go down there'. " He confirmed.

"We should ask Orion first. It is his house."

"Forgiveness or permission, Harry. Which is easier to get? Besides, what if the study is down there?"

"In the cellar?" Harry asked.

"Could be." Ron replied, taking another step towards the engulfing darkness.

Harry reached out for Ron's arm, trying to stop him. "Ron, come on. Let's..."

But Ron pulled his arm out of his friend's reach, and, suddenly losing his balance, ended up tumbling down into the black pit.

"Ron!" Harry shouted down the stairs.

A soft moan answered him from the darkness. Sighing, Harry shook his head and hurried down the stairs.

"Ron, you O.K.?" Harry asked as he felt his way down the stairs.

As another soft moan filled the darkness, Harry pulled his wand out and quickly lit it.

With the light to guide him, Harry was able to transverse the stairs much quicker. When he reached the bottom, he found Ron just getting up off a dirt floor.

"You O.K.?" Harry asked in a concerned voice as he helped Ron to his feet.

"For someone who just fell down a flight of stairs, I suppose I'm good." Ron replied, rubbing the back of his head. But he quickly forgot about his very recently acquired bruises as he looked about the room they were now in as it began illuminated by the light of Harry's wand. Ron quickly pulled out his own wand and lit it, adding to the illumination.

The room was impossibly large. It looked more like a dungeon carved out of rock than a cellar beneath an old mansion. The walls showed a rough exterior while even the air around them felt slightly damp and cold. The light from their wands showed no roof above them at all.

"Oh, this is so cool." Ron breathed in a sigh of admiration. "Fred and George will never believe the stuff about this place. Hey, Harry!" He suddenly exclaimed. "What do you suppose is down here? I mean, it already looks like he's got it enchanted or something. Nothing this big could be under the house. So whatever's down here he must want to keep protected. Blimmy." Ron looked about the room again. "With him being an Unspeakable, there's no telling what he could have down here."

"Probably where he keeps the bodies." Harry stated forlornly.

"Bodies?"

"I'm kidding, Ron." Harry sighed quietly. "And listen, I don't think Orion being an Unspeakable is any different really from just being an Auror. They seem pretty much like the same thing."

"Oh, no way, Harry." Ron shook his head emphatically. Fred and George said that Aurors and Unspeakables don't even speak to each other."

"Well, Unspeakables hardly speak to anyone, do they?"

"Look, even Percy said it's like there's some big rift between the two departments. Neither one speaks to the other. I mean, granted, Unspeakables do hardly talk to anyone, and they're not the friendliest lot according to Percy."

"Well, Orion doesn't seem that way." Harry replied, continuing to shine the light from his wand around the room. "He's actually pretty nice for the most part."

But Ron didn't seem to be listening anymore. He was already heading off through the darkness, following the lit tip of his wand.

"Ron!" Harry stated, heading after him.

Ron stopped a few feet ahead of Harry. "What?"

"Where are you going?"

"Well, we're down here. We might as well have a look round."

"Orion isn't going to like us mucking about down here."

"Harry, we're here. What's the harm in just looking? Who knows what we might find down here."

"Like a way out?" Harry asked, staring into the darkness surrounding them.

Ron shook his head and turned back to his friend.

"I'm telling you, Harry. You're missing out on a great opportunity here."

"And what about all those rooms upstairs that we could be looking through in the meantime?" Harry reminded him.

Ron's attention suddenly focused back on his original plan.

"Oh! Right!" He replied. "I guess we should be heading back upstairs."

Harry just shook his head and headed back for the stairs.

After walking for what seemed the right distance, Harry abruptly stopped and looked about.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"The stairs." Harry stated.

Ron shown his light past Harry. "I don't see any stairs." He stated.

"That's what I mean." Harry whispered back. "We didn't walk that far from them. They should be right here."

Ron shown his wand tip around them in a circle, then turned back to Harry.

"You must have gotten turned around in the dark, Harry. They're probably in the other direction."

"I'm not turned around." Harry whispered. "We didn't walk that far, Ron. The stairs should be right here somewhere."

"My point being that they're not." Ron replied. "Come on." He added, heading off in the opposite direction. "We'll look over here."

Looking around him at the darkness that now seemed to be following them, Harry hurried after Ron. But after walking a good distance, Ron stopped abruptly in front of Harry, causing him to run into him.

"What?" Harry hissed in a whisper.

"They should be here by now." Ron whispered back. "We've walked more than far enough."

Harry looked about the area they stood in.

"Maybe they're over there." He pointed with his wand tip in another direction.

Ron followed Harry about the room until they covered several more directions before finally pulling to a stop.

"He must have this place really enchanted good." Ron whispered. "The stairs must disappear when you come down them. And you need to know the right spell to make them reappear."

"Then how do we get out?" Harry whispered back.

Ron thought for a moment. "Well, we could just wait. I mean, we lit our wands, right? That's using magic outside of school." Ron gave Harry a strangely satisfied smile. "Ministry should be showing up any time now."

Harry stared back at Ron with a sour look.

"We lit our wands ages ago, Ron. They surely should have been here by now. And besides, Orion said the whole house is enchanted to keep anyone from getting in. I'll bet that shields magic used inside as well."

Ron seemed to digest the information for a moment, then looked about them again.

"Well, then I guess we can either wait for Orion to come find us or try to find a way out ourselves."

Harry headed off into the darkness. "I'm voting for the latter of those choices." He responded. "Because I sure don't want Orion finding us down here."

Silently agreeing, Ron hurried after his friend.

After walking about for what seemed a very long distance, Harry sighed in relief as they finally encountered a wall.

"All right." He stated, turning back to Ron. "We'll just follow the wall until we find a way out."

"Why should a wall specifically prove to be a way out?" Ron asked.

"At least it's something to follow." Harry replied. "Wandering about in the dark without being about to see anything around you was starting to get to me."

Ron silently agreed again as he started after Harry.

A few more minutes of walking suddenly rewarded them with a door.

"Finally!" Ron stated.

Yanking the door open, Ron headed through it before Harry could stop him.

"Ron!" Harry exclaimed.

Ron came to a screeching halt.

"What?"

"Will you slow down? We had no idea what might have been behind that door."

For the first time Ron looked about at his surroundings and found he was standing in a long corridor.

"Looks like a lot of hallway to me." He replied.

Harry followed his friend through the door. Indeed, beyond it seemed to be little more than a lot of hallway. The passage was at least lit. Hanging every few yards were old fashion lamps suspended from the ceiling, stretching down the corridor as far as Harry could see. The floor was covered in a short brown and red mixed carpet that looked as old as the lamps hanging above it, while the walls themselves were a medium wood panel. All in all, except for its obvious length, Harry thought the whole corridor looked like it came right out of an old hotel setting.

"I think we should go back and keep looking for the stairs, Ron." Harry stated, looking down the seemingly endless corridor.

"Harry, come on. It's more than likely the stairs were set to disappear once someone came down them. Without the right spell, we'll never find them again. This is likely our best chance at finding a way out."

"But, Ron...,"

"And look, what if there's something in one of these rooms that could explain what's going on. Why you can't see Sirius or Arabella. I mean, you want to figure that out, right?"

Harry sighed quietly. "Yeah. But we only go as far as we can still see the door we came through, all right?"

"Right!" Ron agreed quickly, already heading off down the corridor. "Come on then!"

Ron quickly dragged Harry after him down the corridor. They went right past several doors, with Ron not even giving them a second glance.

"Ron," Harry asked finally as he followed behind the other boy, "why not pick a door?"

Ron sighed loudly and shook his head. "Honestly, Harry. Think about it. No Unspeakable is going to hide anything worth finding in the first few rooms. That would be way too easy. He's gonna make you work to find it. So he's likely gonna put it in a room somewhere near the end of the corridor."

Harry was sure there was room for argument in Ron's logic somewhere, but he just couldn't think of it at the moment.

As they continued down the corridor, Harry's mind wandered back to Ron's statement about the cellar being enchanted. He had no doubt as they continued to walk that the cellar was larger than it should have been. At first he had thought it was possibly just expanded a bit past the walls of the house above and simply seemed larger than it was as they stumbled about it in the dark. But he certainly saw no unquestionable proof that the room was enchanted. But as the corridor continued to stretch on and on, Harry went back to Ron's theory and found it having a bit more credibility added to it. The corridor seemed to go on forever. When he turned around he was sure he could still just barely make out the door they had come through. But when he tried to squint through the pale light to see it better, he abruptly bumped into Ron, who had stopped short in front of him.

Readjusting his glasses back in place, Harry turned an irritated stare to his friend.

"Why'd you stop?" He stated.

"Because we ran out of corridor." Ron replied.

Harry looked past Ron. Sure enough, he found himself looking at what seemed to be a wall, signaling the end of the corridor. Turning back around, Harry glanced back up the corridor. Still a good distance down the corridor, but clearly there now, was the door they had come through.

"That door wasn't so close before." Harry whispered almost to himself.

"What?" Ron asked.

"That door we came though." Harry repeated. It looks closer now than it did before."

Ron turned to look at the door.

"It's just a trick of the lights, Harry. Things look further away in the dark. Don't worry about it. Besides, we got something else to think about now."

Wondering what, Harry turned about to find Ron staring at an old wooden door next to them.

"Well," Ron breathed with a sigh of relief, although his voice held nothing but excitement, "this one is as far back as we can go. No telling what we'll find in here as far back as this must be."

Harry followed Ron into the room, thinking it somewhat strange that none of the doors they had encountered so far had been locked.

Directly inside the room Ron stood shining the beam from his wand about the area.

"Empty?" He seemed to asked no one imparticular with a deep tone of disappointment in his voice. "How can it be empty?"

Harry followed him a bit further into the room. "By not having anything in it." He answered, shining the beam of his own wand around them.

The room was massive. Larger even, Harry noted, then his bedroom. The walls were the same wood panel coloring, with a wooden ceiling some fifteen to eighteen feet above them, criss-crossed with large wooden beams. The floor was covered in the same, dark carpeting as the hallway had been. But despite its size, the room was indeed, completely empty.

"Come on, Ron." Harry suggested. "There's nothing in here, so let's go."

Ron gave no arguments as he turned to follow Harry back to the door. But he pulled up short as Harry stopped abruptly in front of him.

"What's up?" Ron asked quickly, looking over his shoulder. "Did you find something?"

"Yeah." Harry replied slowly. "A wall."

"Harry, we've seen plenty of walls. Let's go."

"Ron," Harry stated, still looking over the wall before him, "this wall wasn't here before. This is where the door was."

Ron gave a soft laugh as he patted his friend on the shoulder.

"You just got turned around in the dark again, Harry." He stated. "That's all."

"Ron, I did not get 'turned around in the dark again'." Harry protested quickly. "We didn't walk three feet into this room."

But Ron had already turned around and headed in the opposite direction.

"Ron!" Harry whispered after him.

"Harry, look." Ron stated confidently. "There's the door over there, right?"

Harry followed the beam of Ron's wand. Sure enough, the outline of the door showed clearly in the dim light.

Harry considered the distance across the room.

"But there's no way we walked that far, Ron." He stated, following after his friend.

"The dark does things to your perceptions, Harry." Ron replied, reaching for the door handle. "And besides, we came in a door, and this is the only door in the room. So it's not only likely the door we came in, but the only way out."

Harry looked about the room again and realized Ron was right about that much. And whereas they could always stay in the room, that wouldn't get them anywhere. If they wanted to find a way out, there was only one way to go.

"All right." Harry agreed. "But we're checking doors as we go this time. One could be a way out."

"All right." Ron replied as he reached for the door handle. "But if we open a door and there's something like Hagrid's dog, Fluffy, behind it, it's your fault."

Ron opened the door and almost stepped straight into a mouth full of large, white teeth. A feral growl echoed through the room as the massive jaws snapped shut, just missing Ron. Harry grabbed his friend by the back of his shirt and pulled him back into the room, slamming the door shut as the teeth banged against the door, snapping wildly.

"Well," Harry said in a shaking voice as he turned to where Ron lay on the floor behind him, "at least it wasn't Fluffy behind the door, hey?"

Ron quickly got to his feet again. "Fluffy?" He stated. "That thing was Fluffy's mother! Did you see the size of it, Harry? It's nose wouldn't have fit in the doorway!"

"So what are we going to do now?" Harry asked. "That's the only way out and we can't get out because of that...thing...out there."

"Hold on." Ron replied as he turned around and looked over the room again. "Harry. Look."

Harry turned around to where Ron was directing his wand's beam. Across the room from where they had come was a door.

"There you are!" Ron exclaimed proudly. "It wasn't that we were on the wrong side of the room before, Harry. We just weren't far enough down the wall. That's why we couldn't find the door." Ron gave him a good-natured clap on the shoulder as he walked past him, trying to dispel some of his own nervousness with the gesture. "Looks like you were right all along."

Harry gave the door behind them a nervous glance as he followed Ron across the room again. Perhaps nothing un-nerved him as much as the fact it had gotten very quiet behind the door now. Nor did he miss the fact that despite his good humor, Ron still opened the door very slowly and cautiously peered around it as he did so.

But finally, with a now relieved smile, Ron opened the door wide to reveal the familiar red and brown carpeted hallway.

"There you are!" Ron exclaimed happily. "Just where we came in."

Harry followed his friend out into the corridor with the same caution Ron had opened the door. He looked one way and then the other. To the right was the same wall that signaled the end of the corridor, while to the left was the empty hallway.

Or nearly empty.

Harry squinted slightly to make out the shape that sitting in the middle f the hallway several yards away.

"Is that...?" Harry began slowly.

Ron nodded slightly. "Yup." he replied in barely a whisper. "It's a potted plant."

Harry shook his head. "Ron, that wasn't there before."

Ron nodded. "Right."

"Think it's dangerous?"

Ron seemed to be trying to gather up some sort of force to make his voice sound more confident. But it came out sounding just slightly above a nervous squeak. "Of course not." he replied. "It's just a potted plant, Harry."

"That suddenly appeared in the corridor?"

Ron nodded again. "Right. Then we'll be careful. All we have to do is get by it. Shouldn't be hard. Not like it can chase us."

"And not that I really care to bring this up." Harry mentioned off-handedly as they cautiously approached the plant. "But if it can't chase us, how did it get into the middle of the corridor?"

"Someone likely left it there." Ron stated, suddenly squaring his shoulders. "Someone who is likely having a great laugh at us right now."

And with that Ron walked right up to the small plant. Staring down at it, he waited to see if anything else would happen. But the small plant sat innocently on the floor. Harry quickly joined his friend.

"There, you see, Harry," Ron turned to him, giving the pot a tap with his shoe. "Nothing. It's just a plain old potted..."

Ron stopped abruptly as the little plant suddenly gave a rustle of its leaves. Then very slowly the plant seemed to turn itself about in the pot and tilt itself upward. Two large green eyes opened and looked directly up at Ron.

"...plant." Ron finished in a whisper.

Two tendrils suddenly shot up and reached for the two boys. But  
Harry managed to just grab Ron by the neck and shove him down as they ducked under the vines and sprinted off down the corridor. Running past closed doors, one suddenly shot open in front of them and a large, fur-covered creature darted out from behind the door, landing facing them in the middle of the corridor.

With a scream of surprise and panic, Ron grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him to the side as he yanked open the opposing door and shoved Harry in in front of him.

For several seconds the two stood leaning all their weight against the door as they fought to catch their breath.

"Blimey!" Ron exclaimed. "What sort of cellar is this?"

"A dangerous one." Harry quickly concluded. "And we still have to find a way out of it."

"If we survive that long."

"Orion's got to notice we're missing sooner or later..."

But Ron was shaking his head as he continued to pant for breath. "He and my Dad are looking at Orion's muggle stuff. They could be at it for hours knowing Dad."

"Then we'll just have to get ourselves out." Harry stated resolutely. "There has to be a way out."

"There is." Ron agreed. "But currently we're about a hundred miles down a corridor from it. And how are we suppose to get out of this corridor to start with? We have no idea which one of those doors has something behind it waiting to jump out at us. Or what it'll be next time. And what was that thing anyway?" he ask, remembering the last creature they faced.

"The biggest stinking werewolf I've ever seen, that's what." Harry supplied.

"Didn't look like any werewolf to me. Looked more like a huge bear."

"All I know is it had teeth."

Ron nodded in agreement as he paled at the memory. "Lots of teeth."

Harry stepped away from the door and carefully began to pull it open. But Ron quickly pushed it shut again.

"Harry! What are you doing?"

"Seeing if the coast is clear."

"Why?"

"We have to get out of here, Ron."

"Why?" the boy ask again. "I mean, this isn't such a bad room, Harry. It's actually sort of nice. Dark and quiet. And nothing's tried to eat me yet. I'm actually starting to really like this room."

Harry sighed to himself as he shook his head, then peaked out into the corridor.

"What do you see?" Ron's nervous voice ask.

"Nothing." Harry replied. Everything's..."

A sudden scream of panic behind him and Harry found himself shoved out into the corridor.

Rolling quickly over onto his back, Harry glared up at his friend. "What did you do that for?"

"Something grabbed me!" Ron stammered, leaning against the outside of the door now. "Something cold and wet."

Harry sighed loudly as he pulled himself to his feet. "Well give some warning next time. You might have knocked me into whatever that thing was that chased us into the room to begin with."

Ron quickly looked about. "Where is it anyway?"

"Not here. That's all I care about."

"But where did it go?"

"Probably back behind one of these doors." Harry ventured a guess. "So we'll have to be careful how we go. We'll take it nice and slow and try not to make any noise. Maybe then we can sneak past it."

Ron was just about to agree when a soft squeaking sound caught both their attentions.

Both heads snapped towards the sound.

The unmistakable sound of a door opening.

Harry and Ron took several steps back as they watched the door a few yards away from them slowly open until the door stood out into the hallway as far as it would go.

Four pairs of wide eyes watched in absolute silence to see what new thing the corridor would produce this time to attack them.

The silence seemed to stretch to the breaking point.

"S...so...what do you think...?"

Harry quickly slapped a hand over Ron's mouth. "Shhhhh." he whispered softly. "Listen."

Ron did. And shortly he heard the unmistakable sound...of someone humming."

Both boys took a tentative step forward as the humming grew slightly louder. Then, almost abruptly, a small, grizzly bearded old man emerged from behind the door. He was softly humming the tune the two had heard while leaning on a cane as he walked. Slowly he turned back to the door behind him and carefully shut it before turning in Ron and Harry's direction.

The old man didn't seem at all startled to see them as he smiled at them and gave a small wave.

Ron and Harry simply stared at the old figure in amazement.

The old man seemed frustrated by something as he dropped his hand and waved it about a few times. But then he stopped abruptly and turned back to Ron and Harry. He gave a gesture with his hand to wave them to come closer.

Both boys shook their heads in unison.

The old man seemed to find some amusement in this and waved at them again to come closer.

Ron and Harry took a step back.

"Probably a ghoul in disguise." Ron whispered.

"Or a vampire." Harry speculate as well.

The old man seemed to be getting frustrated at their refusals and finally turned towards them and started down the corridor towards them, limping on his cane.

"Now what?" Ron ask.

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt to see what he wants." Harry suggested. "I mean, he hardly looks like he could chase a snail let alone us."

"And that could be just an act." Ron replied.

But as the old man approached them, Harry noticed that his steps began to slow even more, until each one seemed physically painful to him.

"Maybe we should help him." Ron suggested. "He looks like he may be hurt."

"He didn't look hurt a few minutes ago." Harry noted skeptically.

They watched the old man slow more with each step until eventually he came to a complete stop. Abruptly his body began to shake. His legs and arms began to lengthen and his face twisted and stretched until the once wrinkled skin was stretched taunt and replaced by a long, angular muzzle full of teeth. Fur began to sprout out over various areas of his body and his feet and hands became long, sharp claws.

Ron and Harry both gave a slight nod.

"Werewolf." They agreed in unison.

Without a second look back, both boys took off down the corridor, figuring nothing they ran into at this point could be half as bad as what was behind them.

They were wrong.

As Harry and Ron bolted down the hallway, running for all they were worth, Harry suddenly made out the shape of a tall, thin man with long, dark hair coming down the hallway towards them. He wasn't running, but his stride was definitely with purpose. As Harry drew closer to him, he clearly made out the hard stare of his uncle, as well as the wand in his hand, which was pointed directly at them.

Harry wasn't sure what to do. The one thing he was sure of was that unless Orion let loose a spell, he wasn't going to stop. He quickly shut his eyes and barreled past his uncle, ducking under his arm to get past. Apparently Ron had taken a cue from his lead and shot past Orion as well on the other side.

"That's enough!"

The sudden bellow of his uncle's voice caused both Harry and Ron to pull to an immediate stop.

Fully expecting to turn and find his uncle's wand pointed again at them, Harry was surprised to find Orion hadn't changed his direction at all. He now, in fact, stood facing the large creature that had been pursuing them. What made the scene even odder was that the werewolf had apparently come to a dead stop just inches from Orion's wand and was making a rapid series of gestures with its clawed hands. Most of which seemed to involve Harry and Ron, as that the creature kept pointing at them.

Harry began to get a bit nervous as Orion lowered his wand, crossing his arms over his chest as he seemed to take a genuinely interest in whatever the werewolf was trying to communicate.

"Just how many times are you going to play that 'I didn't know' card?" Orion stated emphatically at the creature. "Because I'd really like to know."

The creature paused as the Auror spoke to it, then immediately began gesturing again.

"I know all of that." Orion finally replied firmly as he leaned against the wall, but in an overall less threatening tone that echoed his more relaxed stance. "But you have to be more careful. They are guests. Not intruders."

The creature suddenly got a wide-eyed stared and abruptly began bouncing on the balls of its feet in front of Orion. An obviously happy reaction to the news as it began to make several gestures again. But Orion stopped it abruptly.

"No." He stated just as firmly. "You already scared the knickers off both of them. I think you've had your fun for the day."

The creature looked more than a little crestfallen, but finally turned and headed off back down the hallway.

"Don't sulk." Orin called after it as the creature meandered down the hallway. "If you're good, and you don't cause any ruckesses, perhaps Mrs. Black will come down and play with you later. All right? You can show her that nice new werewolf you have been working so hard on."

The creature responded immediately as his head came up and he again began bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"All right then," Orion stated, waving his hand down the hallway, "off you go. Next month we'll turn the spells off around the house and maybe someone will try prowling onto the grounds. You know how much you just love that."

The creature was all but jumping up and down now as it quickly disappeared behind the nearest door.

Harry and Ron both stood stock still as Orion headed back down the corridor towards them. For the life of him Harry wasn't sure which he would rather be facing right now. His uncle, or the creature.

"Well," the Auror stated firmly as he looked down at the two errant teenagers. "we've managed to have quite a day of it, haven't we?"

"Yes, Sir." Both answered in unison, looking as apologetic as possible.

"All right." Orion instructed them, pointing his wand down the corridor. "Off you go."

Harry and Ron turned about and stumbled briefly in surprise. Right before them now stood the door they had originally come through that brought them into the corridor to begin with.

Harry turned abruptly back to his uncle. "But, how..."

"I can leave you down here to figure in out if you'd like, Harry." Orion quickly cut him off.

Harry quickly seized the door handle and hurried through the doorway, followed closely behind by Ron.

Both boys cautiously followed Orion through the cellar and to the stairs. They silently made their way up the stairs and finally met the bright light of the foyer as they stepped through the cellar doorway.

As they stepped out into the foyer, Orion paused long enough to shut and the door behind them before he turned back to the two teenagers.

"I hope you'll understand," he stated in a voice that positively rang with a false calm in Harry's opinion, "that I have to insist you not go back down into the cellar, Harry. Ron."

Both nodded quickly.

"Bo's not really dangerous. But to him, you're little more than a new toy on two legs. And it's really not advisable to tempt him. He gets so carried away."

"Bo?" Harry beat Ron to the question.

"My family's pet boggart." Orion replied, pointing back at the cellar door. "He just loves to play. Especially with new people. So do us both a favor and go find something else to do, all right?"

The two boys quickly turned and hurried off up the stairs. Orion waited in the foyer until he heard the door slam shut upstairs, then finally turned and headed off to see if Mr. Weasley had managed to fix the coffee maker.

****

Q&A

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Family Relations

MKH:

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I am enjoying this story very much. I LOVED family relations. Small question though. What about the motorcycle that Sirius got for Harry's b-day? Is it possible that he will run away on it?

Dear, I am so proud of you for asking about the motorcycle I could just hug you! No one yet has thought to ask what became of Harry's birthday present, which seemed to have simply disappeared from the story last time. The fact of the matter is, I kept the motorcycle in the back of my mind until I could think of a good place to mention it again.

And indeed, the motorcycle plays a part in this story. Oddly enough, in the very next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

MasterLupin:

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"Orion is, in fact, a very good father. Even his own five would (begrudgingly) admit that." Is this story a contiunuing series from some perviusly posted story. I am going to go check on that. I don't completly understand what you mean there. Although If there was a prequil to this story then I am hoping that would explain that.( I will look tonight for a prequil) I stand corected on my previus post anyhow. It dose seem that Orion dose know how to deal with Harry to an extent, we (by that I mean I myself) will see were this goes. It actualy now appears that Harry will in some way stand to benifit Orion on an emotional leavle. Help him to deal with something... But I again do not see all the information, and know all ends, so until next time.

Of course Family Relations is a continuation of another story, Dear. It's the sequel to Family Life.

OK. Just having a little fun with you. I know what you mean.

No, you're not missing out on anything. Orion's family has yet to be introduced. That comes in a story called In The Family Way, which is another story based on Orion and Katlin a good while after Voldemort's fall. And yes, it is a prequel to Family Life and all subsequent Family stories.

Don't get ahead of yourself, Dear. Orion is not there to act as a second father-figure to Harry, nor does he want to. He is there to do a job. Protect Harry. Nothing more. Nothing less. Sorry if that sounds a little cold, but Orion has his reasons fr handling the situation the way he is. He is, in fact, a lot further ahead of everyone else than most people think. There isn't a move that anyone makes that the man isn't shaping to his own ends. He has a goal in mind, and no one and nothing is going to stop him from reaching it.

Silverfox:

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Well, doing marginally better in this chapter, Orion, but I'll stick with my claim that a father of five should know when they are not allowed to learn to aparate yet. Especially if he is a good father and cares for laws as an Auror is supposed to. (and I always got the impression Orion did care a lot about the law) ... And we finally got to see the parents, even if not in person! Yay!

'Marginally better', Dear? Geez, you're a tough audience this time.

True, Orion should have likely known at what age someone could apparate. But whose to say that he could peg Harry's age? He has had little to no contact with the boy until now. True, Harry is famous and most people in the wizarding community can probably tell you the boy's age with only a momentary pause. But Orion had a lot more on his mind right then than remembering how many candles were on Harry's last birthday cake. I never touted the man as perfect.

Well, I think he's a good father, but I'm also horribly bias.

As for caring about the laws, good heavens! The man is married to an Elite Deatheater! Instead of arresting her, he's sleeping with her. How law abiding is that! Basically, he follows the laws when he can and bends them when he needs to.

Actually, you do get to meet Orion's parents one day. That's a cute little story titled (Oddly enough) Meeting The Parents.

Pannybaby:

I'm very glad you're enjoying the story, Dear. No higher praise for an author.

I know the postings are a bit confusing. I hope to work something out with Fanfiction to fuse the chapters all under one heading. We'll see.

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A Dog's Day

Cassie:

Thank you, Dear.

And remember;

During hurricane power outages, crickets can increase their volume to overcome the sound of the 14 generators running in your neighborhood.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Nothing much to say, folks. It's been a tough week.

Please remember my up-coming surgery, August 25th, and remember it may upset the posting timetable a bit.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

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Chapter Eight: At The Time It Seemed Like A Good Idea

Ron and Harry stood on the top landing f the stairs and listened for the door downstairs to close, signaling the Unspeakable's departure from the foyer.

"I'm really sorry about getting you in trouble, Harry." Ron apologized as soon a the door closed.

"It's O.K., Ron." Harry said. "Just, let's forget about looking for anything more about Sirius right now, O.K.?"

"Sure, Harry." Ron agreed readily. "Hey, you still haven't shown me around the house. I mean, all I've seen so far is the cellar."

Harry smiled slightly at the joke. "O.K.. Just no looking at papers or rooting through desks."

Ron nodded quickly as he followed Harry back down the stairs.

All in all, Harry wasn't nearly as interested in showing Ron the house as he was in showing his friend Orion's small roadster out in the garage. And so fifteen minutes later, that was where the two teenagers found themselves, happily peering over the interior of the small car.

"Where'd he ever get something like this, Harry?" Ron asked as he looked over the instrument panel.

Harry shrugged. "Don't know. I just know he loves it like it was a child. So don't scratch anything."

"So I guess a ride is right out?" Ron asked with a good natured grin.

Harry returned it. "Yeah. Right out."

After a few more minutes the two headed back for the door to the house. But before they reached it Ron suddenly pulled to a stop.

"Hey, Harry, what's that?" Ron asked, heading for the back of the garage where a large tarp lay, forming a less than inconspicuous mound.

Harry followed his friend's lead. "Don't know." Harry replied. "Never really noticed it before."

Ron walked over to the tarp and looked it over a bit closer.

"Ron, I don't think we should be bothering it, whatever it is." Harry suggested.

"Just looking, Harry. Maybe he's got another car under here."

"Why would he need two cars?"

"Maybe it's his wife's? In the cellar he mentioned a Mrs. Black."

Harry had to admit that his own curiosity was getting the better of him as he walked over to where Ron was already carefully lifting one corner of the tarp.

"Oh! No way!" Ron exclaimed excitedly.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Oh, Harry, you're not going to believe this!"

"What?" Harry nearly shouted this time.

Ron grabbed a corner of the tarp and threw it over to the side. Underneath the cloth cover sat a large black motorcycle and next to it, a smaller one with green trim.

"Ohmagosh!" Harry exclaimed. "That's...that's my motorcycle! And Sirius'!"

Harry quickly ran over and hugged the silver motorcycle as Ron watched.

"I never expected to see this thing again!" Harry cried happily. "I thought maybe it was burned or damaged or something when it wasn't at Arabella's when we got back since the garage had been damaged in the fire. I can't believe Orion had it all this time and never said anything!"

Harry rambled on for a few minutes while Ron simply stood watching him with a strange look on his face. Finally Harry pulled back from his bike, giving it a satisfied pat when he suddenly caught the look on Ron's face.

"What?"

"You know, Harry," Ron said slowly, "Orion and Dad are gonna probably be occupied for at least another half hour."

Harry thought for a moment about what Ron was getting at. But suddenly his eyes widened in disbelief. "Oh no!" He stated sharply. "No way!"

"Why not, Harry?" Ron was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Because I'm only fifteen. And I'd like to see sixteen. I've heard it's a lot of fun. And whereas Sirius would be mad, Orion will kill me. He knows ways to do that!"

"Harry, he'll never even know!"

"The engine'll be warm."

"Which he'll only know if he even comes out here. Come on, Harry." Ron pressed. "This is opportunity knocking."

"More like temptation leaning on the doorbell if you ask me." Harry replied forlornly, staring at his bike.

"Harry, how many times have you even gotten to ride it? Ever?"

"Once." Harry replied sullenly.

"Then you're more than due." Ron coaxed. "Come on. It's yours!"

Harry looked around the garage. "We don't have any helmets."

Ron quickly pointed to two hanging on the back wall.

"I don't have the key, Ron."

"Fred and George showed me a spell that started Dad's car without the key. I bet it'll work on your motorbike as well."

A few minutes later the roar of the motorcycle engine proceeded the garage door opening. Seconds after that it was overshadowed by two muffled but excited screams as Ron and Harry sped off down the drive.

Thirty minutes later Ron and Harry came speeding back up the drive. But Harry nearly threw them both off as he came to an abrupt stop in front of the garage.

Standing there with fixed expressions were Orion and Mr. Weasley.

"Ron," Orion spoke in a cold, level tone, never once taking his eyes off Harry, "I believe your father is ready to take you home now."

"Come along, Ron." Mr. Weasley said as he held out a rolled up newspaper that they were using as a portkey.

Ron quickly hopped off the back of the bike and headed over to his father. He turned once more to his friend, still seated on the motorcycle.

"I'll see you at King's Cross, Harry." Ron called to him.

"Yeah. I hope so." Harry replied.

Harry watched as Ron and his father disapparated. But he never let Orion completely out of his sight. He quickly jumped off the bike as Orion finally walked over to him.

"Well?" Orion asked, staring down at the teenager.

"We just went for a short ride." Harry defended quickly. "And not very fast."

"Oh. I see." Orion replied, glancing down the lane before he turned a very stern look back to his would-be nephew. "We didn't go very far, or very fast, so that makes it all right then."

"Well, at the time it seemed like a good idea."

"And was it?"

Harry turned quickly to the ground, trying his level best to look sorry. "No, Sir."

"The only thing that is keeping you from going to your room for the endurance of your time here is that you at least showed some sense by wearing helmets. But in the meantime you can spend the rest of the day there."

"Yes, Sir." Harry replied quietly as he quickly headed for the house. Happy if for nothing else than to be out of Orion's threatening presence.

Hurrying up the stairs, Harry headed straight for his room. The prospect wasn't so bad really. Orion had fitted his room with every conceivable comfort. He would certainly have plenty to entertain himself with for the rest of the day.

But as soon as Harry opened the door to his room, he realized Orion was way ahead of him.

The room had been utterly stripped. Gone were the chest of drawers, the armoire, and the desk. Gone was the closet full of cloths. Gone were the bookcases with their shelves of books and wizard games and endless knickknacks. Gone was the talking mirror. Even the carpeting was gone, along with any wall decorations. And worst of all, gone was the four poster bed. Left behind was a plain white floor and dull white walls, with a small bed set in the corner.

"Hysterical." Harry muttered to himself, thinking suddenly how much the room in fact resembled a jail cell.

****

Q&A

Family Relations

Hug-me:

I'm pleased you are enjoying the story, Dear. Updates are almost exclusively on Sundays between 6-10PM EST, barring hurricanes and such.

MasterLupin:

Oh no, Dear! Predictions are half my fun, as well as my compass on the story. It shows me if I'm being too convoluted, or leading you more along the right path. Feel free to keep them coming. I enjoy them immensely.

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Fever

1derland pixie:

Thank you, Dear. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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Family Life

Hug-me:

Again, I'm pleased you enjoyed the story, Dear. Glad to see you found the sequel all right.

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Siriusly Bored

sirius-black-4eva:  
Thank you, Dear. I'm very glad you enjoyed it.

All reviews are as of 08132005.

And remember;

A very un-happy anniversary to Charly, the first of Florida's 2004 hurricanes (08/13/2004).


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Well, folks, here we are. At another one of those ' I just had so much darned fun writing this' chapters.

Some of you may debate the concept of 'fun' here, but mostly I just enjoyed doing this chapter solely because of the subject content. You see, I really like Hershel. He's a very intriguing character, and I hope after reading this chapter, you'll agree. He's got such great potential as a character, I have a lot of plans for him. But I felt that before I throw him into too many stories, perhaps I ought to explain him a little better. A bit of background, as it were, so that you can understand a little better who he is and where he came from and how he ended up as he is. And to also explain why, out of a whole planet full of people, Hershel is the only one who lays sole claim to the characteristic of being the only person Bo actually, personally, physically, dislikes. (A feeling Orion often mentions borders on 'hates', which is a near non-existent emotion for Bo.)

And if you think Orion is playing fast and lose with the truth in this chapter, well, he is...sort of. It's the same story as you heard in Enemies, with just a bit a new twist added in. It adds a few missing pieces to the story from Enemies, like why Bo was in the cellar to begin with. What Orion told Katlin wasn't the whole truth.

Also, due to length, you're getting this as a two part chapter. So, part A tonight, Part B next time.

And so, without further delay, past the disclaimer, dear readers, I give you Hershel Bennett.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

****

CHAPTER NINE - PART A: HERSHEL BENNETT

Orion sat in his study staring over a piece of parchment. But his mind was anywhere but on the paper before him.

Harry had only been with him now for several days, and already the teenager had managed to almost completely upend his otherwise stable, ordered life.

He was a good father. He handled children well enough. So why was one teenager driving him right up a wall?

"Orion?"

Orion shut his eyes as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. But he finally turned about in his chair to face his ward.

"What is it, Harry?"

"I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"No, Harry. Of course not. I'm just doing some work. What did you need?"

"Well, I was wondering..."

Whatever Harry was curious about, Orion never found out. Suddenly an alarm began to ring throughout the house. It wasn't loud, but Orion paid it very close attention. It rang for a few seconds, but then shut off abruptly as another sounded off in its place.

Orion quickly grabbed his wand off the table and drew a quick circle in the air with it as he spoke a spell.

Instantly the circle flared to life and became a glowing sphere that hung in the air before him.

Harry tried to move closer to see what the glowing orb showed, but Orion dispelled it before he could see.

"What in the name of Magic is he coming here for?" Harry heard the Unspeakable whisper as Orion grabbed his arm.

"Come with me, Harry." He stated quickly, dragging the teenager behind him.

Harry followed, but none too compliantly. Not that it seemed to matter. With the grip Orion had on his arm, he was going to follow whether he wanted to or not.

Abruptly Harry found himself out in the foyer. "Where are we going?" he asked quickly. "What's happening?"

Orion directed the boy towards the cellar door.

Seeing where he was headed, Harry instantly dug his heels in. He remembered the cellar all too well, and he wanted no part of it or it's sole occupant.

But all his physical protest went without notice as Orion opened the door and shoved him inside.

"I need you to stay in the cellar, Harry." Orion stated as the teenager turned about to face him. "Use your wand to illuminate your way to the bottom. The stairs will disappear as soon as you reach the ground. You remember how that works."

Indeed he did. And he didn't like it one bit.

"But Orion, the boggart...!" Harry stated with alarm.

"...is the reason I want you to stay in the cellar." Orion quickly explained. "Bo will take care of you. But you need to stay in the cellar. And you stay there!" Orion emphasized. "This is no game. You do as I say. All right?"

"But why? What's going on?"

Three more alarms had gone off. Each one louder than the one before it.

Harry suddenly felt something brush against his skin. Or more, settle right over it. Like a cold, wet blanket. He gave an involuntary shudder as he looked around the foyer.

"I can feel...it feels like Dementors are close by." Harry turned a panicked stare to his guardian. "What's happening? Are Dementors attacking the house?"

"That would be preferable." Orion answered as he glanced over his shoulder.

"To what?"

Orion turned a steeled stare to him. "To who is coming." he replied in a stoic tone. "Harry, you stay in the cellar until I come to get you. Bo can shield you. But you must stay in the cellar. You understand me?"

"But who's coming?" Harry asked. "Is it Voldemort? The Deatheaters?"

Harry barely caught the answer as the door slammed shut.

"My uncle."

Orion stood alone now in the foyer as a black cloud of wind arose from the floor. It circled about like a small cyclone, effecting nothing else in the open area and not so much as disturbing the air around it.

When the cyclone calmed and the wind faded, in the aftermath of the entrance stood a tall man dressed in black. But it wasn't just black. It was as though any light around the man fled from him, and the darkness left behind formed the cloths about his body, but left no clear lines. His face was angular, without a single curve to soften its appearance. The jet black hair was short and contemporarily styled. His overall build was of a man who took good care of himself. But the look on his face was anything but pleasant.

"Always a nice entrance, Uncle Hershal." Orion commented.

The man made no reply, but instead looked about the foyer before his two coal black eyes settled on the younger man before him.

"You've been keeping secrets, Orion." he spoke finally, his voice filling the foyer like black velvet. "That isn't like you."

"I'm an Unspeakable, Uncle Hershal. That's exactly like me. Now, did you have a specific one in mind or should I just start listing them until we come to one you like?"

The figure looked about again. "You are keeping young Harry Potter in your house."

Orion kept silent. He knew from experience it was always a far better route to take with Hershel Bennett than actually trying to argue with the man.

"Well?"

"You sound like you already have your mind made up on that, Uncle Hershal."

"I know he is here."

"So he is. What interest that is of yours is my interest."

"Who gave custody of that boy's keep over to you?"

"My brother. The boy's legal guardian."

"Why?"

"Harry needs watching for a few days."

The man took a long, slow breath, sounding like someone who was fighting just to breath.

"Why does the boy need protecting?"

"Because Voldemort has issues with his being alive right now."

"Issues?" the man questioned, tilting his head slightly in curiosity.

"He finds it annoying, and he'd like him to stop doing it."

"If the boy needs protecting, he should have been given over to me. I can protect him far better than anyone."

"He's fine where he is, Uncle Hershal."

The man reached out a hand. "Surely your brother must realize..."

Abruptly a tall, black, cloaked figure appeared behind Orion. Two robe covered arms draped over the man standing in front of the tower of black robes.

The older man took a quick step back. "What is that creature doing here?" he stated in a tone that sounded very much like alarm...or severe dislike.

"You know how Bo is, Uncle Hershal." Orion commented without otherwise moving in the slightest past a slight shrug. "He was probably curious as to what was going on."

The man's agitation was clearly growing at an astonishing rate. "Take that thing away! Now!" he demanded.

Orion set a hard stare on the man before him, completely unperturbed by his tone. "Bo is my friend, Uncle Hershal." Orion stated calmly, but leaving no room for discussion on the matter. "He is allowed anywhere in this house he pleases to go."

The man set a solid stare on the younger wizard. "And you would do well to stop treating that thing like it was some...pet! Has life taught you nothing about it? Experience?" The man gestured to himself. "Look at me! I am this thing because of that creature. Because of what it did to me."

"Oh, stop it." Orion stated in disgust. "You are what you are because you've chosen to remain that way. Bo offered to undo the spell. You refused."

"Let that creature experiment on me further?"

"Bo did what you ask." Orion answered stoically.

The taller man slowly turned to the creature behind Orion, who had never once made the slightest move to relinquish its protective stance. "You think you are immune." he stated in a low voice. "You think you have power. But you are nothing. And the day will come when I will have my vengeance on you, creature. And that is a day I live for in my misery."

Orion noted silently that Bo's only reaction to Hershel's warning was to tighten his embrace around him slightly. He wasn't processing the words as a threat to himself, but to the man he was protecting.

Instantly the black cloud rose up again, engulfing the man, and just as quickly dieing away again.

In the aftermath Orion stood still draped by the boggart's protective arms. But as soon as the man was gone, Bo flew into a flurry of action. He quickly spun about until he was standing in front of Orion, flying through a series of wild gestures.

Orion faced the whole onslaught with a bemused smile. Finally he just shook his head.

"Why do you always go on so about him?" he asked the boggart.

The tower of black suddenly stopped and leaned forward slightly. If he had had a face, he would have been eye level with Orion now.

"Father and I both understand what happened, Bo." Orion pointed out for the hundredth time. "And neither of us blame you. It was Hershal's own ambition that got him into this. You did just what he asked. Good boy."

The boggart quickly shifted to the shape of a large black dog sitting before Orion, happily thumping his tail on the foyer tiles.

"Oh, stop it." Orion lightly chastised him. "Sirius has the family pets covered."

"What did happen to him?" A small, soft voice ask.

Orion turned about to see Harry poking his head cautiously out of the cellar door.

"What did I tell you?" Orion stated firmly.

"But he's gone." Harry reasoned. "And Bo's out here."

Orion sighed to himself. He was too tired to fight a curious 15 year old's reasoning skills.

"So who was that?" Harry asked.

"I already told you that." Orion answered, crossing the foyer with the black dog following closely at his heels. "That was my uncle. My Uncle Hershal, to be exact."

"But you said you didn't have any uncles." Harry replied, hurrying after him as Orion headed down the hallway back to his study.

"Well, I don't really." Orion gave the dog an irritated stare. "Will you do something else, please?" he ask.

The dog paused, then shifted into a small black cat.

"Oh right. That's better." Orion commented as he continued into his study with the cat and Harry at his heels. But as he took a seat at the desk, Orion noted that Harry kept a respectable distance from the cat.

"You don't need to be afraid of him, you know." Orion pointed out. "Bo won't hurt you."

"Just like in the cellar?" Harry asked warily, keeping his eye on the small animal, which had, upon entering the room, launched itself into Orion's lap.

Orion scratched the animal under its chin absently as he turned his attention to his nephew. "Did he hurt you?"

"He scared the daylights out of me! And Ron!"

"He's a boggart!" Orion protested for his friend. "That's what he's suppose to do!"

Harry studied the cat for a moment. "He doesn't seem very scary right now." he commented curiously.

Orion picked the cat up and looked it over for a moment, then turned it around to face Harry. "It's black." he stated imperiously. "What more do you want?"

"What's he even doing in the house?" Harry ask. "I mean, why have a boggart?"

Orion had gone back to scratching the cat. "I told you. He's sort of a family pet."

"He just doesn't seem like much of a boggart now. Shouldn't he be trying to scare you instead of purring in your lap?"

"Well," Orion replied carefully, "Bo isn't your average boggart. He's...a bit more sophisticated."

"Sophisticated?"

"That's all you're getting, Harry." Orion warned gently. "Subject closed. Just don't feel you have to whip out a banishing spell around him. It'll just irritate him." he added with a mischievous smile Harry was none to comfortable with.

"What of he tries to scare me again?"

"Tell him to stop."

Harry gave his uncle an incredulous look. "Just like that? Stop?"

Orion nodded. "Just like that."

"And if he doesn't?"

The mischievous smile came back in an instant. "Tell him you'll rat him out. He'll stop."

"Rat him out?"

"To Bo that means you'll either tell me or my wife. Either one, he knows he's in a mess of trouble."

Harry seated himself on the arm of the large, plush sofa. "So what did happen to your uncle?" he ask.

Orion sighed to himself as he considered answering the question. He would like to have just dismissed the subject and been done with it. But Hershel had shown an interest in Harry. That was bad. And he knew where he was. That was worse. The boy needed to know what he might be up against one day should Hershel pursue his whims to get his hands on the boy.

"Actually, it's a very long story, Harry." Orion began. "One that, oddly enough, involves Bo."

****

Q&A

****

Family Relations

Hug-me:

Well hey, the man ain't an Unspeakable for nothing. Staying one step ahead of peple is his job.

Glad you enjoyed it, Dear.

Althea:

****

when are we meeting the family?

Which family, Dear? Orion's? Not in this story. You don't get to meet his family until a story called In The Family Way. As for Orion's parents, ditto. Not in this story. That is in a one shot called (oddly enough), Meeting The Parents.

MasterLupin:

****

Well if you insist, I'll give a psychological prediction. I believe that while Harry is sitting in the jail cell (his room) he will wonder 'if Sirius' stay in Azkaban was similar to his current situation, in this room, just more dank and longer.'. This will lead to him thinking about Sirius and how he might be feeling right now. In turn resulting in Harry feeling bad for Sirius and wanting to see him or contact him again to reasure him that he is alright. He will then formulate a plan involving the use of the spell he learned from Ron and the motorbike. The plan may or may not involve trying to make Orion relax his now oversenistized gard, by asking to learn about hs new famliy. The plan almost works but just as he starts the bike the house elf being his usale spy self cast somespell and blows out the tires of the bike resulting in a minor acsadent, mainly Harry falling off the moving bike and scraping the side of his body baddly. Leaving Orion realising that Harry 1. has to much free time to be doing stupid thing 2. needs to learn first aid because he endsup patching up Harry; Harry having poorly implemented muggle means of first aid. THATS MY GUESS AND I'M STICKING TO IT.

You put serious thought into that, didn't you, Dear?

I'm very impressed.

And even though it's not stated in the form of any sort of a question, I'm still putting it in here because I'm just so darned impressed with the thought process, I wanted to share it with others.

However, ummmmmmm...no. Actually, since I never delved into what Harry was thinking about while he was in his cell (room), I can't say that part of your theory is totally wrong. However, from the part where he leaves the confides of the four walls of his cell (room), yeah, you're pretty much right out.

Sorry.

fwuzzfwuzz:

Actually, I have mentioned (warned) several times that Sirius is not in this story very much...sort of.

And I'm pretty sure you'll be shocked, Dear.

****

Fever

SBR:

Dear, you are very easy to please.

But thank you just the same. I am glad you liked the story and I appreciate the review, even if the main part of it was simply to vent your excitement. I'm pleased to see that finding one of my stories gets anyone that excited. Sort of how I feel when I find that Susan Krinard has put out a new book.

All reviews are as of 08/21/2005.

And remember;

Surgery - August 25th.

Expect delays and save yourself the disappointment.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Well, the surgery went well..., I suppose. Don't remember a blessed thing. All I recall was watching them cut the covering off my hand that they had wrapped it in after scrubbing it down, and then someone saying, "OK, all done."

Just that easy, folks.

Now recovery is a different matter. First of all, what it feels like when you leave the hospital and what it feels like five hours later are worlds apart, let me tell you. When I left the hospital I was thinking "Hey, this ain't all that bad." Five hours later I was thanking God for the foresight to have picked up my pain pills the day before.

They don't work, by the way.

But my parents, God bless them, took me in and proceeded to let me do absolutely nothing. Which was more frustrating than anything. I know it was for the best and all, but horribly boring. By Monday I was already working from home answering e-mails and trying to sort out problems without the help of my beloved database. Oh well.

Oh, and let me tell you, fellow non-ambidextrous people, you get use to doing things one handed REAL quick when you have to.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

CHAPTER NINE-PART B: HERSHEL BENNETT

Harry stared mutely at his uncle for several seconds. "Bo?"

"For the most part, Harry, Bo is fairly easy going. He just plain likes everything. Especially if its new. New people, new experiences, learning new things. He's like a curious child. I've never known him to hate anything or anybody. But I have found over the years that there's one person in this world that Bo dislikes. And that is Hershel Bennett."

"But I thought Bo didn't dislike anyone?"

"He doesn't 'hate' anyone. Harry." Orion corrected. "Bo dislikes people. Or more accurately, he has some people he likes more than others. But Hershel Bennett just seems a special category to him. He just genuinely doesn't like him."

"Why?"

"Again, I'm not really sure. I've ask him a few times what it is about Hershal he doesn't like."

"What does he say?"

"He says it's because Hershal is 'bad'."

"That's it? Because he's bad?"

"You have to understand, Harry. That's very unusual for Bo. Generally he only defines things as 'like' or 'dislike'. His personal feelings about something. Hershal is the only thing Bo has ever assigned a distinct moral judgment to."

"So what does he do that makes him 'bad'?"

Orion sighed again. "It's not what he does, Harry. It's what he did."

"Did?"

"Maybe more accurately, what he is. You see, Hershal Bennett used to be a wizard, Harry."

The teenager frowned. "'Used to be'? He looks like a wizard to me."

"Looks can be deceiving, or haven't you heard?"

"So if he's not a wizard, what is he?"

Orion paused as he looked at the ceiling. "That, Harry, is a very good question. And the answer is entirely dependent on who you ask."

Harry frowned deeper. Didn't the man ever give a straight forward answer to anything? "You said he's your uncle."

"He's 'sort of' my uncle, Harry. Didn't you ever have anyone who came around so often you just sort of 'made' them part of the family?"

Harry gave a short, derisive laugh. "With the Dursley's? You have to be kidding. For most people, one visit was enough."

"Well, what about Sirius when you were a baby? My understanding was he all but lived at your parents house."

"But I don't remember any of that. I only know what people tell me."

"Well, trust me then. Some people have relatives based more on 'occupational standards' than blood relation. And that is sort of what my uncle is about. I have no real blood relatives since my father is an only child, as was his father before him. But I always had an Uncle Hershal."

"So who is he then?"

"My father, Harry, was a member of the Ministry before the Unspeakables formed. But the branch he belong to was sort of the precursor of my Department. They were the elite of the Ministry's Aurors. The very best wizards and witches working in enforcing laws at that time. And much like the Unspeakables now, each member of this department had a partner. That person, for my father, was Hershal Bennett."

"Sort of like police in the muggle community."

"Very much like that. Except their job was to track down renegade witches and wizards. And when it came to getting the job done, there was no one better at bring someone in than my father and Hershal. They had the best record in the department."

"So what happened to him?"

Orion leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "Sometimes, Harry, no matter how good someone is at something, they just aren't satisfied. And that summed up Hershal Bennett.

Hershel was a great wizard, make no mistake about that. He was as powerful as any wizard you'll ever meet. Even Voldemort had reason to be wary of the man."  
"Did he ever try to go after Voldemort?" Harry ask curiously.

Orion shook his head. "At that time, Harry, Voldemort was little more than an occasional nuisance. No one had any inkling of what the man would aspire to or eventually become. So at the time, Hershel took no more notice of him than the Ministry did. And that was very little. But while Hershel's power earned him a great deal of respect, it also earned him a great deal of fear. But Hershel didn't seem to mind that. He wanted to be feared, it seemed. He equated it with respect. Somehow, that idea seemed to factor in largely to what he has become." Orion added absently.

"But despite all of that, Hershel was never satisfied with his achievements. He was never good enough to meet his own standards of adequacy. He always felt he could be better than he was, but that life had somehow short-changed him."

"So what did he do?"

"Hershel felt that if life hadn't given him what he felt he deserved, he would just have to go out and get it for himself. For Hershel that was more power. And he saw that power in two things. One was in the Dementors. A creature so powerful it could possess a human's soul."

"And the second?" Harry ask quietly.

Orion turned his attention to the cat now napping in his lap. "The second was in my family's boggart."

Harry barely stifled a laugh. "A boggart? They aren't powerful. We're taught how to banish them by third year."

Orion turned back to him. How to explain without getting too into detail?

"And I told you," he replied, "Bo isn't your average boggart. He's much more sophisticated."

"How?"

Orion paused as he chose his words carefully. "Well, for one, Bo thinks for himself...mostly. Actually, he's more like at the level of a curious three year old. And he can do magic on his own. In fact, many of the spells I knew before I started school, Bo taught me."

Orion felt he had gone a bit too far as he quickly noted the teenager's curious stare shifting to the cat.

"I never knew a boggart that did more magic than simply changing into whatever you were most afraid of." Harry commented.

Orion sighed quietly. He should have known better than to think he was going to get off lightly with this explanation. The boy was like a dog with a bone. Once he got his mind on something, his curiosity wouldn't let go until he was satisfied with the answer. But Orion's mind suddenly grabbed onto the unsettling idea. One he hadn't given much thought to until just then. Sirius was planning on adopting Harry, and that could make him a relation in Bo's eyes. And if Bo saw Harry as a relation, the son of one of his potential hosts, he would likely also see the boy as a potential host as well.

And that could spell trouble.

Big trouble.

Orion's gaze settled on the boy across from him. Is this what his own father had felt like years ago, trying to explain to him what his future might hold? Trying to explain the potential danger of it to him?

And worst yet, would the boy pay any more heed to the warning than he had?

Orion shifted the cat off his lap. It landed gracefully on its feet and turned back to him with a questioning stare.

"Bo, go check on the others for me, will you? And you can stay for a few hours, all right? Have a good play with them."

The tower of robes instantly materialized in front of Orion, bouncing about as though suddenly very excited. Bo made several gestures which Orion watched, then nodded to him.

"All right. Till dinner. Then right back here."

The hooded head nodded quickly, then disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Harry ask as soon as Bo disappeared, trying to sort out the verbally one-sided conversation.

Orion seemed to momentarily search for an answer, but then smiled slightly. "Visiting." he replied. Getting to his feet, Orion walked over and re-seated himself in one of the wing-backed chairs by the fireplace, indicating the corner of the sofa closest to him to Harry. "Come and have a seat, Harry." he stated. "We need to have a talk."

Harry cautiously seated himself on the sofa cushion. "About what?"

"Several things I had hoped we wouldn't need to discuss. But my uncle's coming here has made it necessary."

"Things like what?"

"Well, for starters, like Bo." Orion answered, suddenly feeling that maybe this was for the best after all. Harry needed to know about Bo, and it would make explaining about Hershel much easier if Harry understood the background better. "Bo isn't, as I said, you're average boggart. And explaining a bit more about him may also help explain Hershel Bennett a bit better as well. You see, Harry," he started, keeping to the highlights and deciding to let the boy's curiosity tell him how deeply he would need to elaborate on things, "a very long time ago, my family came into possession of a magical power. A very strong one. At first this power had no corporal existence. It was just a magical force. But it managed to join with a member of the family at that time, who became a sort of host for it. Allowing it to exist almost as a person."

"Join?" Harry ask. "You mean it took over their body?"

Orion shook his head. "No. This force never exerted its own will over the person. It more or less just lived through them."

"So the person it was joined to got stronger magically?"

"That was one part of it, yes. The beneficial side. But there was a price to pay for this magical enhancement as well."

"Which was?"

"You couldn't use it."

Harry almost laughed. "Then what was the point?"

"The 'point', Harry, was that my family brought this force into existence, and we were, therefore, responsible for it. Without us, it had no existence. And abandoning it would have been cruel. It would have been like turning a child out into the world alone. It needed an anchor. Someone to guide it and keep it safe. Such is the responsibility of my family. And when the force was brought into existence, a decision was made who would be the host for each generation. The choice was made that the role would fall to each eldest male."

Orion saw recognition forming in the boy's expression.

"So," Harry stated, drawing out the word as he thought the information over, "since you're older than Sirius, this force came to you?"

Orion shook his head again. "No. The 'Power', as we called it originally, stays with a host until the host dies. Currently, that would have been my father."

"Would have been?"

"My father knew that there were certain physical dangers to the host, especially if they chose to use the 'Power'. And so he decided it was time to find a new vessel for the 'Power'. One that was safer for all involved."

Orion thought he could practically smell the smoke as the teenager thought over what he told him.

"You said your family originally called it the 'Power'." he commented. "What do you call it now?"

Orion smiled slightly. "Currently, Harry, we call it 'Bo'."

"Bo?" Harry exclaimed, his mouth dropping open.

Orion frowned a the boy's reaction. "You sound surprised."

"Well, I thought you had turned this 'Power' over to Hershel Bennett. I mean, you said he was a very powerful wizard. Maybe even more so than Voldemort. I thought maybe your family had turned the care of the 'Power' over to him. That he was now the host."

"I'm sure Hershel would have loved nothing better."

"Does he know about the 'Power'?"

Orion nodded. "Yes. But not many others do, Harry. Please keep that in mind. Our family's goal is to protect Bo. Not abuse him in what he could do for us."

"Protect him from what?"

"Bo is a force of magic, Harry. And a very powerful one."

"A boggart?" Harry ask in surprise.

"He's not just a boggart any more, Harry. Stay with me, please. Don't get ahead of the story. Now true, Bo is a boggart in the physical sense. But joining him with the 'Power' elevated his status to the equivalent of a very precocious three year old. Emphasis on the word 'very'. Now, in regards to what Bo needs protecting from, try thinking of it this way; suppose the Ministry got wind of any of this? A powerful 'tapable', force of magic. Pure magic. How do you think they would react to that?"

Harry didn't need to think about it very long. "They'd want to use it."

"The word you're looking for, Harry, is 'exploit'. And that's just what they would do to Bo. Exploit him for their own gains. And it wouldn't be hard. Bo is very naive when it comes to peoples true motives. As I said, he's little more than a big three year old, and just as trusting. He stays with us because out in the world he would literally be nothing more than fodder for any one wanting to abuse him. My family brought him into existence and it's our responsibility to see he's protected."

"So if Bo is the host for the 'Power', where does Hershel Bennett figure into all of this?"

Orion leaned back in his chair. "That's a bit longer story." he sighed. "As I said, my father wanted to find a new vessel for the 'Power'. But in order to do that, he would have to separate Bo from his current physical host. Something he knew he couldn't do on his own."

"But why did he want to put it anywhere? Why not just...dispel it?"

"My father never wanted to 'get rid' of the 'Power' in the physical sense, Harry. He understood the 'Power' was a sentient being." Orion frowned briefly at his own description. "Well, it was sentient anyway. And so he could never justify what he would have termed 'killing it'. But he wanted it...free of the family...as much as he wanted the family free of it. He wanted to allow the 'Power' to experience more of an independent life, not just live vicariously through the whims of its host. To learn to live in the world since it was, more or less, stuck here. And in order to do that he had to come up with another host. And he came up with one idea after another about how to do it. All of which he shared with only two people. My mother was one. And the other was..."

"Hershal Bennett." Harry supplied quietly.

"Exactly. My father talked all of his plans over with Hershal concerning the 'Power'. And that was how Hershal found out about it's existence to begin with. The problem was, that as my father talked to Hershal about it, he never noticed how interested Hershal was getting.

Hershal simply could not understand how my father could consider 'throwing away' such an opportunity. To separate himself from such an intense magic and place it at the hands of basically...a three year old. The issue was the point of a great many arguments between them. Hershal often told my father that if he simply wanted another host for the 'Power', to use him. He would gladly accept being the new host. My father told him that it wasn't possible. That the 'Power' could only be passed from father to son in our genetic line."

"But then how could he use the boggart? He's not related to your family."

"No. But when you think about it, Harry, what is the genetic structure of a boggart like? A creature that can become anything for all intents and purposes. Living or non-living. My father believed the boggart's genetic code was so loosely woven to begin with, that a simple transformation at the time of the transfer was all that was needed to make it successful. And based on the results, he was right.

But Hershel never stopped thinking about all the potentials of the 'Power', or what that much consolidated magical energy could do for him. All of which my father out-rightly refused to accommodate him in. He tried to explain to Hershal that it was his intention to never use the 'Power'. That he understood all too well the dangers involved in such a decision.

And for a while Hershal seemed to understand and lose interest it that area. Instead he became nearly as fanatical as my father in finding a way to place the 'Power' in a new host. They worked for weeks on different spells. Making small adjustments here and there until they finally devised a spell that was able to accomplish their goal. Hershal was as excited at the success as my father.

But for very different reasons."

"What reasons?"

"Hershal knew he could never pursued my father to use the 'Power' for Hershal's own goals. But someone else...someone not as sophisticated...someone basically with the mind of a three year old, was far easier to manipulate. And now with the

'Power' successfully separated from my family, Hershel began to turn his attention back to his own plans.

Long before he began working with my father on placing the 'Power' in a new host, Hershel had been working on a project of his own. For years he had been trying to learn a way that a wizard could better control the Dementors. Or even better, harness their powers. Hershal felt he was very close to a breakthrough, but felt he needed a stronger magic to complete the final phase of his research. And now he had found one."

Harry's eyes grew wide behind his glasses. "He used the 'Power'?"

Orion frowned. "He manipulated a poor, hapless creature barely able to understand the world around it."

"What did he do?"

"One night, when I was about 10 myself, my family went out for the evening. While we were gone, Hershel came over to the house. He was one of the very few people who could apparate directly into our house. Or to be there when no one else was at home."

Orion paused as he glanced at the slowly dieing fire in the fireplace. "When we came home, the first thing my father noticed was that the door to the cellar was open. This was absolutely never allowed in the house since Bo's creation. As a boggart, he seemed to like the cellar well enough. And in his disoriented state, he simply stayed down there. My father, at the time, felt it was the best place for him until Bo was more oriented to things and my father was able to think of a better way to keep him safe while allowing him to explore things on his own.

My mother took Sirius upstairs, but I followed my father down into the cellar.

We found Hershel laying at the bottom of the stairs with Bo standing over him. My father immediately assumed the boggart had attacked his friend. He grabbed Hershel and rushed back up the stairs, pushing me in front of him as we went. Once we got to the doorway my father quickly placed a charm on the cellar that sealed it completely. Bo couldn't have gotten out if he had wanted to anymore."

Orion stared more forlornly at the fire. "Poor Bo." he commiserated. "As if things weren't confusing enough for him, now he found himself a prisoner in a silent cell."

"What do you mean?" Harry ask.

Orion focused his attention back on him. "Before this happened, my father hadn't just banished Bo to the cellar. He was still, in a sense, the 'Power's' host. Still it's connection to the physical world, just not the main one anymore. He tried to help Bo understand what had happened to him. To have the 'Power' understand where it was now and why. He had spent hours with him, trying to ease some of the fear he felt in the creature. In a matter of few months he had made great progress with Bo. Bo was, in fact, with my father much as you see him with me. Once he was let out of the cellar for short times to wander the inside of the house, he would literally prowl the house looking for my father. He hated being separated from him. He was like a young child away from its parent. Once he found my father he wouldn't let him out of his sight until my father would put him back in the cellar. My father said at those times he used to make a horrible, wailing sound. Like a child crying. He simply didn't want to be alone. He often told my father being in the cellar by himself gave him a feeling he didn't much like. One that didn't hurt physically, but hurt all the same.

In short, he was lonely.

And then the incident with Hershel happened, and my father misread all the evidence. He was sure something had gone very wrong and Bo had attacked Hershel. So, deciding the spell had somehow gone wrong and Bo wasn't to be trusted any longer, my father turned the cellar into a prison. And worst than that, he wouldn't allow anyone to go into it any longer, and Bo wasn't allowed out.

For days he wailed in the cellar. But my father seemed to turn an absolute deaf ear to it all. He never even mentioned the poor thing by name anymore.

He simply ignored him."

"So what happened to him?"

"A few weeks after this, I ventured down into the cellar. I knew about Bo, of course, but only in a distanced sort of way. I knew he was a magical creature that my father kept in the house...or now kept in the cellar. And I wanted to learn more about him. So I slipped into the cellar one day and went down the stairs."

"Did he attack you?"

Orion laughed at the suggestion. "Hardly. He came up the stairs like an eager three year old running to it's big brother. He tried so hard to communicate with me. But I had no idea how he talked to my father, and he seemed frustrated that I couldn't communicate with him."

"How did your father talk to him?"

"I'm not sure. They just always seemed to understand each other. But whatever it was, I didn't have that connection to Bo. So we developed a different way to communicate. A series of gestures that meant something only to us. Bo was an excellent learner. He was so eager to just connect to someone again he patiently sat and learned every hand signal I taught him. Some were actual sign language symbols. Others, things I made up. But over the next few weeks we learned to talk to each other. And through our newly formed language, I learned a great deal about my new friend.

But shortly after that something happened that changed everything, and the relationship I had with Bo changed forever."

"What happened?"

"My acceptance letter from Hogwarts arrived. I was going away to school."

"How did that change things between you and Bo?"

"I didn't look forward to going to Hogwarts. I was a very frightened 11 year old facing a great unknown. I'd never been away from home for months at a time, and I didn't relish the idea one bit."

Harry smiled slightly at the thought, imaging the man who likely faced everything from curses to hexes as a daily occurrence being afraid to leave home.

Orion seemed to practically read his mind.

"Don't smirk." he stated. "I was eleven years old."

Harry quickly schooled his expression. "So then what?"

"Well, like any frightened child, I went to talk things over with someone I trusted, and who I felt wouldn't laugh at me."

"Like a boggart?"

"Like a friend." Orion corrected. "And yes, I went to talk to Bo. Bo told me he could devise a way that I didn't have to go to school alone. That he could go with me. A simple spell he knew that would allow him to leave the cellar."

Harry broke in suddenly. "Wait a minute! If he knew a spell to leave the cellar, why didn't he use it to escape?"

"Because the spell had to be spoken by someone else. He could teach it to me, but I had to speak it for it to work."

"Oh."

"What Bo didn't tell me was all that the spell would actually do. I thought it was simply a spell to allow him to cross past the magical barriers my father had placed around the cellar."

"But?" Harry reasoned there was more to it than that.

"But the spell had nothing to do with the barriers. In fact, it didn't affect them at all. What it did do was to allow the 'Power' to possess the person who spoke the spell."

Harry sat up suddenly on the sofa. "He made you a host for the 'Power'?" He asked.

Orion shook his head. "No. No spell can do that that I'm aware of. What this spell did was made me a channeler for the 'Power'."

Harry frowned. "So how is that different from being a host?"

"First off, there can only be one host. At the time, that was my father."

"But what about the boggart?"

"The boggart's corporeal body, such as it is, is merely a 'house' for the 'Power' to live in. The host is the 'Power's' anchor. Without the host, the 'Power' would cease to exist."

"So what does a channeler do?"

"Just what the name implies, Harry. I can channel the 'Power's' magic. All of it or just part of it. Whatever I choose. In fact, I believe what I became that day in the cellar was the very thing Hershel was trying to accomplish."

Harry had almost forgotten that part of the story. "Whatever did happen to him?" he ask.

"Ah, back to the main point." Orion agreed. "I told you I managed to formulate a language that I used to talk to Bo."

Harry nodded.

"Once Bo could 'talk' to me, he was full of questions. But the most persistent ones seemed to revolve around why was he consigned to the cellar and where was my father? He didn't understand why my father seemed so angry with him and why he wouldn't talk to him anymore.

Well, I wasn't sure either. All I knew was what I saw and what I heard my father saying that day he found Hershel in the cellar with Bo standing over him, accusing the boggart of having attack his friend.

I relayed all of this to Bo, telling him I assumed my father was angry because he had attacked Uncle Hershel.

At first Bo was confused by what I told him. I tried over and over to explain it to him. But he kept telling me I was wrong. I wasn't saying things right. Finally I got tired of fighting words with him and I simply ask him if I was wrong, what was right?

Bo then told me a very interesting story.

He said that the only person who ever came down in the cellar was my father. He would come down to talk, or listen, or to take Bo upstairs to let him look around the house, which he enjoyed most of all.

But one day, someone different came down the stairs. Someone Bo didn't recognize. But the person also wasn't alone. Bo said that the person brought with them a bad feeling."

"A bad feeling?" Harry ask.

"It took me a while, and a lot of questions, to understand what Bo meant by that too. I finally made out that the person was Hershel, and that apparently the 'bad feeling' he had brought with him into the cellar was a Dementor. And believe me, if there's one thing Bo dislikes as much as Hershel Bennett, Harry, it's a Dementor."

Harry didn't find that overly surprising until he thought about it. Bo was supposedly a boggart. Why would he dislike Dementors? "Do they effect him like they do everyone else?" he ask.

The Unspeakable turned a thoughtful stare to the ceiling again. "I don't know for sure. I don't think so. I think he just doesn't like them.""

"But how could Hershel control a Dementor that well? Sirius said that even the Azkaban guards had trouble sometimes controlling them."

"Hershel had been working on new ways to control the Dementors. Some of his methods were rumored to be very successful. But he never shared them with anyone. He said he wouldn't until his work was complete.

Apparently it was part of his work that allowed him to contain a Dementor and bring it into our house that night."

"Why would he want a Dementor with him?"

"That was what I wondered. As I said, as I continued questioning Bo I figured out the 'bad feeling' he kept referring to wasn't just a feeling, but a 'thing'. A physical presence. Bo said it was a creature he had never encountered before, but one that he didn't like. I ask Bo what the creature was, but he said he didn't know. That he had no name for it. The problem was, that in our sign language, we had no word for Dementor either. So Bo had no word to tell me for the word Hershel used to call the creature. Bo went on to tell me that Hershel had told him he wanted him to give him the powers that the creature possessed, and then get rid of the creature.

Unfortunately, Hershel made two very serious errors in his demands. One, you have to be pretty specific with Bo when telling him what you want him to do. Especially if its something new that he hasn't done before. And second, Bo would never kill anything. Good, bad, or indifferent, he simply will not kill. Least of all as indiscriminately as Hershel had told him to."

"So what happened?"

"Bo told me that he simply did what Hershel had ask, as best he could understand it. And what Bo understood was that Hershel wanted to be like the Dementor."

Harry thought for a moment before he turned back to his uncle. "Bo turned him into a Dementor?"

Orion gave a soft laugh. "No. He did worse than that."

"What could be worse?"

"Bo said the only way he could figure to give Hershel what he was demanding, was to merge the two."

"Merge them?"

"Merge them." Orion confirmed. "Each became a part of the other. And in part, Hershel got exactly what he ask for. He now has all the powers of a Dementor. The problem is, he has all the powers of a Dementor. You see, Hershel wanted a Dementor's power, but not its side effects. What he got was both."

"So he's basically...a Dementor."

"He's a Dementor that thinks, Harry. Who has the powers and capabilities of a very powerful wizard. And I can't think of anything in this world more dangerous than that."

"So what happened then?"

"Well, to make a long story short, my father found out I had been visiting Bo in the cellar and things went from bad to worse for poor Bo. My father, still operating on the assumption Bo was some deranged creature, forbade me to ever go down in the cellar again. He knew about the spell I performed because as a result, the 'Power' was able to escape its prison through me. My father was furious. He accused the 'Power' of manipulating me. Of attacking me as it had Hershel. I tried to counter his accusations against Bo. I told him what Bo had told me. I told him the whole story. Everything that happened since that fateful day. About Hershel coming over to the house, going down into the cellar. I told him what Bo said Hershel ask him to do and the result. I told him about the spell and why Bo had taught it to me. All of it.

I expected my father to laugh at me. To call Bo a liar. But to my surprise my father listened very attentively to every word I said. When I finished my father forced the 'Power' to release me, then he led me out of the cellar and shut the door. That was the last time for a very long time that I saw my friend."

"What happened to Hershel Bennett?"

"Aside from a drastic personality change? Quite a bit. And none of it good. Hershel had been a very outgoing person before Bo performed his spell. As cheerful and pleasant and friendly a man as you would ever want to know. He was handsome, rich, and ran a very successful business. But overnight it seemed he became very dark and moody. His temperament was unpredictable at best and everything around him seemed to start to fall into decay. It seemed that everything a Dementor was reached out of him and wrapped itself about everything near him. His home went from being one of the grandest homes you would ever see to looking more like a haunted house. His business went all but bankrupt because he couldn't keep employees. No one wanted to work for the man anymore. People, in fact, couldn't stand to be near him."

"So what happened?"

"Hershel lived like that for months. He seemed, for all intents and purposes, to consign himself to living like a man whose only luck was bad. My father had tried to see him several times, but Hershel had always refused. My father would go to his house, but Hershel ignored his knocks. He tried to apparate inside, but Hershel blocked that as well. He literally had shut himself off from everyone and everything.

One day, my father went to the house and tried again to apparate inside. This time he surprising was allowed in. He searched the house for a full hour before he found his old partner sitting alone in one of the furthest rooms of the house. My father said the man looked like a living skeleton. Like a man who hadn't eaten for days or even weeks. Fearing for his health, if not his sanity, my father brought Hershel back to our house.

But the minute the man was inside the walls of our house, Bo suddenly went nuts down in the cellar. We had never seen him get so...active. I guess 'violent' is a better word. He tore around the cellar like he was being chased by something. A place he had lived in for months he suddenly seemed terrified to be in. He literally ran at the barriers trying to break out. It wasn't until I went to see what was wrong with him that things got settled in more ways than one. On seeing me, Bo barreled up the stairs. But he stopped a few feet from the barriers. He begged me to come down the stairs. To stay with him. Not to leave him alone.

Well, I always had a soft spot for Bo, so I figured a few seconds holding his hand and talking to him wasn't too much to ask. My father was settling Hershel into a room upstairs and I could use the time to figure out what was bugging the boggart, so to speak.

Well, the second I was past the barrier, Bo sprung into action. He leapt at me, enfolded himself around me, and that was the last thing I remember.

But my father told me what happened after that in great detail, punctuated every so often with comments about my being to gullible.

As soon as I left the cellar, or more accurately, Bo, my father says I headed straight for the stairs and apparently right to the room Hershel was in. My father says I stopped at the door, just staring at the man in the bed. My father, realizing something was wrong, ask me if I was all right. Apparently at that moment, Hershel reached up and laid his hand on my father's arm.

My father says the next thing he knew I lunged at Hershel, screaming just sounds at him. Pulling him away from my father.

My father thought I had lost my mind. He said all I did was slap at Hershel and scream at him and try to pull my father away from him. Then he realized I wasn't angry, I was acting more afraid. Afraid Hershel was going to hurt him.

My father grabbed hold of me and dragged me out of the room. He said by the time we reached the cellar he knew exactly who he was dealing with. Not his son, but a potentially demented magical force.

My father once again separated Bo from me and forced him back into the boggart. Bo immediately began his out-of-character behavior again. Running about the cellar and throwing himself at the barrier. My father brought me around, at the time I was pretty much out of it, and had me talk to Bo; to find out what was wrong. Whatever connection they had had, it wasn't apparently functioning with Bo in his present state. Bo frantically conveyed that my father had to stay there with him. He had to stay away from the creature upstairs. That it could seriously hurt him if he didn't let Bo protect him.

My father waved off the concern and had me tell Bo Hershel was a friend and meant no one any harm. That all Bo was feeling was the results of the wrong Bo had done to his friend.

My father should have listened to the boggart."

"But why would Hershel want to hurt your father? I thought they were friends."

"Hershel Bennett was my father's friend, Harry. This...creature...cared for nothing and no one but itself. In truth, maybe Hershel knew all along what he was becoming. That those first dark days were just a prelude. I often wondered if when my father found him in the house that day that leaving him there wouldn't have been a kindness. If the man didn't know what was happening to him and decided to take matters into his own hands once and for all."

"He was trying to kill himself?"

"The only way he could. The only thing the Dementor didn't understand was his need to eat. So Hershel decided to simply stop. By the time the Dementor figured out what he was doing it would be too late.

But my father intervened and unwittingly saved his friend's life when that was the last thing Hershel wanted.

Apparently, he took it as a personal affront and decided to strike back at my family, just as Bo tried to warn my father he would.

For three days Hershel simply lay in his bed. He didn't seem to sleep at all, but he ate whatever was brought to him.

Unfortunately, when he decided to strike, he again miscalculated horribly in his plans and chose as his first victim the last person he should have picked to cross wands with."

"Your father?" Harry ventured.

Orion solemnly shook his head. "My mother. Apparently Hershel felt she was the more logical choice, seeing her as the weakest member of the two people he sought the most vengeance on. I don't know that Hershel ever targeted Sirius or I in his plan for revenge. But he definitely was intent on making my parents pay for what was done to him."

"But why? They had nothing to do with it."

"Hershel didn't see it that way, Harry. I can't even say for sure how his twisted mind was working at that time. All I can suppose is that he saw my mother and father as directly responsible for what he had become. And so perhaps thinking to deliver a damaging blow to my father before challenging him directly, Hershel thought to kill my mother first. His mistake."

"Your mother escaped?"

"Mum whumped him one." Orion replied with no small amount of pride evident in his voice. "Oh, she gave him the obligatory opportunity to withdraw before she dealt out a sound thrashing. Mum's tough, but she's fair.

To say Hershel left after that would be redundant, but he did. He fled right back to his crusty old house. For days my father heard nothing from him. He tried to get him to talk to him. Trying to help his one time partner to the end. But Hershel refused to even open the door or to even speak to him aside from telling him to go away. A month later my father went again to see him and came home with the most remarkable news. He said the whole house was completely changed. It stood now in more than its former glory, the walls cleaned, the windows repaired and the grounds immaculate. The house could have been front cover material for a dozen different magazines. But my father said even that was a poor second to the change in the man himself. Hershel greeted my father at the door looking every bit as he had before the accident. Even better. The man was the picture of health, wealth, and good fortune. But he still regarded my father down his nose like a poor second relation. He told my father that he had indeed been wrong to blame our family for what had happened to him. That the fault was not ours, but the thing he has ever since referred to as 'that creature'."

"Bo."

Orion gave a slight nod. "My father tried to point out that none of it was really Bo's fault. That he did what he was told.

Hershel didn't see it that way...none to surprisingly. To do so would have been to place the blame on the only remaining person in the whole fiasco. Himself. And Hershel could never do that. His conceit runs far too deep to allow for such an admission. So he's turned all of his hatred and angry and sense of injustice on the one person who can't really defend himself. Bo."

"Has he ever tried to hurt him?"

"Who? You mean Hershel actually attack Bo? Several times."

"What happened?"

"Well, Bo is still alive...sort of. I mean, he's hard to define as alive to begin with. But you don't need to worry about Bo, Harry. He can more than defend himself against Hershel. Especially if Hershel does something uncharacteristically and monumentally stupid, like try attacking Bo when my father is around."

"Why does that make such a difference?"

"My father is the current host to the 'Power', Harry. He is perfectly capable of manipulating that energy better than anyone. Bo is only handicapped when my father or I aren't around. Then he only has himself to rely on for decisions. And lets face it, a three year old doesn't always make the best choices. In fact, I would worry more for his opponent than for Bo in those circumstances. He tends to be a bit...unpredictable."

"But why does Hershel Bennett want me?" Harry ask, remembering the discussion he had heard in the foyer. "He doesn't even know me."

"Hershel Bennett answers to no one anymore, Harry. He doesn't have to. Even the Ministry leaves him alone. And as such, his motives are his own. As are his schemes and his plans. As for why is he interested in you? I can only guess at that. He knows about you. A very young, but very powerful wizard in your own right. Hershel would undoubtedly love to tap into your magical ability for his own uses."

"Tap into?"

"One of Hershel's many talents, Harry. He can take your magic and use it against you. You throw a spell at him he can throw it back at you, but as something else. Power for power, he can manipulate and reshape your own magic and control it. My advice is to just stay away from him if you can. If he comes to the house and I'm not nearby, you call for Bo. Bo can handle Hershel just fine. If neither of us is available, for heaven's sake, don't try to use magic against the man. It like trying to fight fire with fire, and you'll end up burned."

"But why doesn't he effect Bo?"

"I didn't say he doesn't effect him, Harry. He just doesn't effect him like he does regular people."

"Why not?"

"I'm not really sure. Although I have theories. I mean, what is a Dementor's power, Harry? They control you through the worst memories you have. They are, in fact, something like boggarts, except they not only incite fear, they feed off of it. The more afraid you are, the better they like it. But you see, Bo isn't afraid of anything. So he has no 'bad memories'. To him life is just sort of one long, happy adventure. So my best advice to you would be try to avoid Hershel and try to entertain Bo. He so loves people who are entertaining."

Harry sighed to himself. "Great."

"Advice you can put to use starting now." Orion stated, getting to his feet.

Harry quickly followed him out the door and into the foyer. "Now?" Harry ask. "Why now?"

Orion grabbed a cloak out of the closet as he turned to the teenager. "Because  
I have to go out for a few hours."

"Out?" Harry ask. "But...but Bo isn't here. You sent him off somewhere. So you can't leave." Harry added quickly, feeling measurably better about being stuck with his uncle than the boggart.

But Orion simply turned his attention to the foyer again. "Bo!" he called in a loud voice.

Harry's hopes plummeted as the tower of robes reappeared almost instantly, just as quickly launching into a series of gestures. Harry expected Orion to answer the boggart's gestures as always, but instead he remained silent, responding in the same quick hand gestures, leaving Harry with the suspicious feeling he was being purposely left out of the conversation.

After a few moments, Orion turned back to Harry. "All right, Harry. Bo understands he's suppose to watch you until I get back."

"What did he say?" Harry tried to ask innocently, hoping for some useful information.

"He's just disappointed that he had to come back so soon." Orion answered. "I told him he could stay away till supper. Having to leave sooner than I said just sort of upset him a little."

"Upset him?" Harry cried in alarm.

"Just a little." Orion patted him on the head. "Try to be entertaining, will you?" And with that the Unspeakable disappeared.

Harry stood for a moment staring at where the man had been standing, then slowly turned his gaze to the tower of black robes, which seemed to be staring down at him expectantly.

"I can play wizard's chess." he offered with as much confidence as he could muster. "But that's all you're getting out of me."

In an answering gesture the boggart reached out a hand and lightly patted him on the head.

Harry sighed to himself as he turned and headed for his room. "I'll get the board."

The next morning the whole incident seemed to Harry to have been forgotten where his uncle was concerned. Orion informed him over breakfast that he was going into the office that morning and that he would be back in the evening. Fairly much the standard of what Harry's days had been since arriving at the house.

But the following morning the routine changed abruptly.

Orion came into Harry's room and opened the curtains, letting the sun shine in and illuminate the whole room in the warm sunlight.

"Harry. It's time to get up." Orion announced. "You have to hurry and get packed."

The word caught Harry's attention immediately. "Packed?"

"We're going to Hogwarts." Orion answered. "You have an hour to pack and have breakfast. There's a special floo connection that will be waiting for us then to transport us safely to Hogwarts without detection or interference."

Harry sat straight up in his bed. "Hogwarts?" he cried with excitement. "We're going to Hogwarts!"

"Not if you aren't ready in an hour. Now get up and get dressed. Tets has breakfast waiting for you."

"Why are we going to Hogwarts?" Harry ask as suddenly a list of questions came to mind. "Are we going to see Sirius and Arabella? Is that where they've been staying? Are we going to stay there now?"

Orion sighed to himself as he listen to the assault of questions. "An hour, Harry." He reminded the excited teenager. And with that he left the room.

Harry didn't need any prodding. He was out of bed, had his breakfast, and packed his few belonging in a time frame that had him sitting down in the foyer for nearly a half hour waiting for his uncle.

When Orion finally came into the foyer, Harry could hardly keep still anymore. But it only took him a moment to notice his uncle wasn't alone. Walking just behind the Unspeakable was a second man, not much older that Harry could tell, but who look just as serious. The man overshadowed Orion be a good three inches, and whereas Orion had long black hair that he kept usually pulled back at the nape, the other man's was more of a dark brown with hints of blond in it. He was just as powerfully built and if possible, looked even sterner than his uncle.

"Harry," Orion said by way of introductions, "I'd like you to meet my boss, Orin Bale."

Harry shook the man's hand.

"So, you're young Harry Potter." the man said in a deep voice that matched his expression. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Potter."

Harry simply stared at the man in poorly mask awe. This man was the head of the Unspeakables.

Ron was going to be so jealous.

"Well then, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Bale commented, rubbing his hands together. "Are we all ready, Black?"

Orion turned his stare to his nephew. "Ready to go, Harry?" he ask.

Harry turned his attention to the head of the Unspeakables. "Are you coming to Hogwart's as well?" he ask the man.

The man favored him with a small smile. "I'm just one of the conduit, Mr. Potter. one of my other agents is on the other end to close the loop."

"Loop?" Harry ask. "I thought we were traveling by floo network."

"We are...sort of." Orion answered. "Though its really more of a tunnel this time. Directly connecting one place to another. A direct, sealed, magical corridor. No matter what, no one can penetrate it."

"Well, they can certainly try." the other man stated, sounding to Harry like he half hoped someone would. "But you have me covering one end and Jackson covering the other. No one will stop this trip."

"All ready then, Harry?" Orion ask again.

Harry nodded.

"All right then, lets be on our way."

Harry watched as Orin Bale deftly produced his wand and instantly conjured a large fire.

In all his time at Hogwart's, Harry had never seen anyone handle a wand quite the way that this man did. As elegant and well-honed as each move was, there was also a powerful, unsettling feeling behind it. As though the man could weave a spell to entertain a child or deal out a curse at an enemy with the same eloquent moves. And never once change his expression while he did so.

"Be quick about it, Black." Orin stated. "Past time you should be on your way and Jackson will be getting cranky with the wait. Don't like dealing with cranky agents."

"I swear, Bale," Orion commented, directing his charge towards the fire, "some days you treat like we're children and you're just the babysitter."

Bale shrugged at the comment. "Long as it pays the same, I don't much care what they call my position."

Orion cast the man one last look as he stepped into the fire behind Harry. One that clearly spelled out his concern centering around all that was waiting for them at Hogwart's.

As soon as he emerged from the fire, Orion quickly handed Harry's single bag over to the other agent and directed Harry through a large open doorway.

"The Headmaster is waiting for us, Harry. We'll be stopping by his office first. Then you'll be shown to the room you'll be staying in, all right?"

"Will I get to see Arabella and Sirius?" Harry ask eagerly.

"All in good time." Orion answered, "First, we don't want to keep the Headmaster waiting."

Harry allowed himself to be directed to Dumbledore's office without further questions, which he felt would be useless anyway. Orion's answers left a great deal to be desired already, and Harry didn't think they would get any better.

Finally arriving at the door to the Headmaster's office, Harry knocked softly on the door.

Dumbledore's voice answered him. "Come in, Harry."

****

Q&A

Family Relations

MasterLupin:

While Harry is curious about his new family, I don't know that that curiosity will have any dire results. But heavens, that's certainly not to say the potential doesn't exist. I mean, look at what you have: Grandparents who are retired Aurors, an aunt who's a Deatheater Elite, and uncle who's an Unspeakable, and a one-time live-in uncle who's a Dementor. Lot of potential there.

Silverfox:

Hermione would definitely have been an interesting house guest. One wonders how she would have responded to Bo. Or Bo to her, for that matter.

Purely coincidence, but my favorite cat is also a small black one; a little feral female runt that I have had for over 17 years now. She is my baby.

True, Bo did offer to undo the spell and Hershel refused, so he has no real reason to be angry at Bo. But something you have to understand abut the very enigmatic Mr. Bennett. He is rich, powerful, and to-die-for sexy. The man seems to sort-of have it all, (with the exception of that one little problem he has of being a Dementor). But even that isn't Hershel's biggest problem. That category is filled by the fact that Hershel has a slight problem accepting responsibility for his own actions. And worst, he's essentially accusing a three year old for his own mistake.

But, in Hershel's defense allow me to say, he really didn't know what he was facing. I mean, he had little to no interaction with Bo prior to this. Therefore, he had no idea at just what level the boggart operated mentally. Had he known, he would likely have been more careful how he worded his request.

All reviews are as of 09022005.

And remember;

Let us keep the victims of Hurricane Katrina in our hearts and in our prayers.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: OK, folks. This is one of two chapters that will finally put you on level of what's really going on in this story. But take my advice. You want to do yourself a favor? Read this chapter, then go back and re-read the last chapter of Runaway: Escape. In there, Orion looked to Sirius before he said something to Hershel, to which Sirius shook his head. That little scene will take on a new dimension for you once you've read this chapter.

Also, if you feel so inclined, go back and read the last few chapters of Family Life.

Then, go back and re-read the first three chapters of this story. Trust me, you will see them in a whole new light after reading this chapter, guaranteed.

Past that, all I have to say, is,

as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

Chapter Ten: Reunions

When Harry stepped into Dumbledore's office, he was met by a very strange gathering.

But the first person his gaze settled on drew his attention away from any other person in the room. Sitting before the Headmaster's desk was his godmother, Arabella.

"Arabella!" Harry flew at his godmother as she stood and swept him up into her arms.

"Harry! Oh, Harry. I didn't think I could miss anyone so much in my life!" Arabella exclaimed past tears of joy at seeing him again. "How are you? How have you been? How has Orion been treating you? Oh, look at you. You've lost weight, haven't you? Hasn't he been feeding you right?"

"Arabella, I haven't lost any weight. And Orion's been treating me fine." Harry wrapped his arms about her again. "I just want to come home. When can I come home?"

"Well, that's what we're here to talk about, Dear. So come and sit down. We all need to have a talk."

As Harry took a seat next to his godmother, he slowly took in the other occupants of the room.

Sitting next to him on his left side on the other corner of the Headmaster's desk was a very nervous looking Analisa. Curled up in her lap, nestled in the material of her black robes, was her small, black kitten, Diamond, who she was absently stroking.

Behind her, with a hand resting on her shoulder, stood Professor Snape, looking uncharacteristically as nervous as Analisa did.

Orion had stationed himself behind Arabella's chair, assuming the air, Harry thought, of an over-protective bodyguard.

The one person Harry didn't see who was most conspicuously present by their absence from the meeting, was Sirius. A fact that left Harry with a very worried feeling.

As soon as Harry was settled in his seat, Snape leaned over and whispered something in Analisa's ear. She listened attentively to him, her eyes half hidden under her long, black lashes as she lowered her head. She answered with only a slight nod and immediately turned her attention back to Diamond.

"Well, Harry," Dumbledore asked with a pleasant smile, "I suppose the first thing to ask is how things are for you?"

Harry looked about the room again. He hadn't gotten the impression from Orion's mention of the meeting that it was just going to be idle chat.

And with Snape present, it was almost a guarantee.

"I suppose everything is all right." Harry answered quietly, turning to look briefly at Arabella, who gave him a kind smile.

"And how are you getting on with your new uncle?"

"Orion?" Harry asked, picking his words with great care. "Well, like I told Arabella, he's all right. I just...I wish I could go back to living with Arabella and Sirius though. I mean, it's not that Orion isn't being real good to me. It just...I miss them. And Orion said I couldn't see them, but he wouldn't say why."

Harry turned briefly to Orion, who was simply watching the boy with an almost bored stare. If Harry had offended him with anything he said, he certainly didn't show it.

Dumbledore pushed his glasses back up his nose from where they had slipped nearly off the end of it. "Well, Harry, that's a large part of why I asked Orion to have you come here today." Dumbledore said. "To try and answer a few questions I'm sure you have. And, of course, so that you could visit with your godmother, who I was sure you missed very much. But first, I'd like you to answer a question for me."

"Yes, sir?"

"How has your godfather been?"

"Sirius?" Of all the things Dumbledore could have ask him, this struck Harry as the oddest.

"Have you suddenly acquired another, Potter?" Snape hissed at him.

"Severus, please." Dumbledore stated softly. "Now, Harry," he added, turning back to the boy, "what I meant was, when you were with him the last few weeks, before you went to live with your uncle, had Sirius been acting...like himself?"

Harry turned to Snape for a moment, then to Arabella, and finally back to Dumbledore "I suppose he's been all right. He's been a little...tense lately, I guess."

"In what way?" The headmaster ask.

Harry noted that the comment had seemed to strike the interest of Orion more than anyone else in the room, who looked up from his brief study of the floor to focus his attention again on Harry. "He's just been...I don't know,...sort of moody. And he's been snapping at Arabella a lot. He yelled at me once. And I mean,...that's just not like Sirius. But...he's been through a lot lately. And he says his leg hurts him. He says that's why he would get angry sometimes. He doesn't mean it. It was just his leg hurting him."

"Anything else?"

Harry thought for a moment, turning again briefly to his godmother. He desperately didn't want to say anything to get Sirius in any trouble. And from the looks of how things were evolving, the meeting had something very important to do with Sirius.

Arabella gave her godson a comforting smile.

"It's all right, Harry." She assured him, gently brushing her hand over the unruly patch of hair on top of his head, reading his stare as correctly as she ever did. "Sirius isn't going to get in trouble from anything you say here, I promise you."

Harry nodded and turned back to Dumbledore. "Well, there was the thing at the adoption agency."

"What thing, Harry?"

"Well, when Orion showed up, and he showed Sirius the papers he had to take custody of me..." Harry shuddered inwardly at the memory. The look in his godfather's eyes had been murderous. "I've never seen Sirius that angry. Even when he was going to kill Peter in the Shrieking Shack. I really thought he was going to attack Orion."

Analisa suddenly looked up.

Dumbledore turned to her. "Analisa?"

"He wasn't expecting that." Analisa replied quietly. "He had done everything he could to push the adoption through. But he had no idea about the change in custody. So that sort of threw a monkey-wrench into all his plans. It would have undoubtedly upset him. And considering who was responsible..."

"That being our Mr. Black." Dumbledore supplied.

"You know how he feels about Orion Black, sir. Orders have stood for years to kill him on sight."

Harry listened to the puzzling conversation. "Ahhh, sir?" Harry cut in suddenly.

Dumbledore turned to him.

"Sir, Sirius may not like Orion, but I doubt he would ever really...hurt him."

"Nor do I, Harry." Dumbledore replied. "But nor do I believe that your godfather is who we are dealing with."

Harry gave Dumbledore a puzzled look. "Sir?"

Dumbledore leaned over his desk. "Harry, Analisa has something to tell you, and I want you to promise to hear her out, and listen to what she has to say very closely. Because what she has to say is not to be taken lightly. She has put her own life in great danger giving us this information."

Harry turned to the woman sitting next to him. Next to him he felt Arabella's hand rest on his shoulder.

For a few seconds Analisa sat staring at the floor. At first Harry wondered if she was going to say anything at all, or if she had changed her mind. But very slowly Analisa finally turned a very worried and frightened stare to him.

"Harry," she began slowly, "the man you were living with, the one you think is your godfather...,Harry, it's not Sirius. That is Lord Voldemort."

Harry sat for several seconds in absolute stunned silence, staring blankly at Analisa. He could feel Arabella's grip tighten slightly on his shoulder. Suddenly his expression came back to life as he frowned at Analisa's statement.

"He's what?" His disbelief clearly ringing through in his words.

"The man you see as your godfather, is actually Voldemort."

"But...but it's Sirius." Harry stated. He turned quickly to look at Arabella, then turned back to Analisa. "I think I would know my own godfather."

"Harry, do you remember being back in the lair?" Analisa asked him. "In the chamber when Sirius attacked Voldemort?"

"I was unconscious for most of it."

"Well, what you did see, and even parts that you didn't, Harry, were all very carefully orchestrated. Voldemort, in fact, manipulated them so that they would go exactly as they did. From the moment he took your godmother, I believe Voldemort knew exactly how things were going to progress."

Harry studied the woman next to him for a moment. "Did you?" He asked quietly.

Analisa sat in silence for a few moments, then dropped her eyes. "I didn't know everything, Harry. I didn't know he was going to attack your godfather. I...I did know about the spell Voldemort used, but I swear to you, that was all I knew about."

"Spell?"

"The body Voldemort was in, Harry, the one you saw in the chamber, was the body he created partly out of your blood."

Harry nodded as a small shudder ran through him at the memory of what had taken place in the graveyard at a time that seemed ages ago. Again he felt Arabella's reassuring hand tighten slightly on his shoulder.

"Shortly after that body was created," Analisa went on, "Voldemort began to sense something was wrong. The body wasn't...right. It was as though it were fighting him. Working against him. Keeping him in pain. Then shortly after that, he began having seizures. Violent attacks that would last for several minutes.

Very soon after these started Voldemort reasoned that the answer had to be that the body was defective somehow. That the transformation hadn't gone right. And so he decided that he needed a new one. Voldemort knew a spell that would allow him to transfer his consciousness into another body."

"Like what he did with Professor Quirril." Harry remembered.

"Exactly." Analisa replied. "But that spell had specific parameters that needed to be followed. Ones that didn't suit the current situation. So Voldemort had to adjust the spell. When he was done, he had a spell that allowed him to transfer his consciousness onto another's body, and gain complete control of it. When you were attacked in the chamber, and were unconscious, Sirius attacked Voldemort. He used his wand and drove the tip into his heart. The injury should have killed him. But Voldemort anticipated the attack. He even perpetuated it. He, in fact, did everything he could to get your godfather angry enough to do exactly what he did. Attack him."

"Why?"

"Those were the parameters of the spell, Harry. The person who Voldemort took control of...he could only do so if the person had put his own body in mortal danger. He couldn't leave the body if he injured it by his own hand, or if the injury were by accident. It had to be the result of a deliberate life threatening injury."

Harry was stunned. "But...but why Sirius? Why not one of his Deatheaters? They would have considered it some sort of honor to give themselves up for him."

Analisa shook her head. "I'm not sure why Voldemort chose Sirius. All I can tell you there is you can bet there was a reason, for Voldemort rarely does anything without a reason."

Harry sat for a moment thinking. Then suddenly a frightening thought came to him mind.

"But...but if Voldemort took over Sirius' body," Harry asked quietly, "then where is Sirius?"

"Most likely he's still in his body, Harry." She answered quietly. "He just can't regain control. My guess would be that the changes you have seen in your godfather have been subtle. Not something that happened all at once. It was likely something that even Sirius himself didn't notice right away. But by the time he realized what was happening to him, Voldemort would have regained enough of his will to force your godfather into a dormant state."

"Then...what's going to happen to Sirius? If Voldemort has control of his body...and he doesn't need him anymore..."

"Voldemort isn't going to kill Sirius, Harry." Analisa explained quickly. "I don't think he can. He needs Sirius, or at least some part of his consciousness, in that body to keep it alive."

Harry turned slowly back to Dumbledore. "Is this the reason Orion took me away from Sirius and Arabella? Is this why he stopped the adoption?"

"We didn't want to alert Voldemort that we knew who he was, Harry. At that time only myself, Analisa, Professor Snape, and Arabella knew what was going on." Dumbledore replied. "But we needed a brief diversion while we planned how to deal with the situation. For that we called in Sirius' brother, Orion, who offered the idea of the change in custody. As Analisa pointed out, it was just enough to throw Voldemort off balance. Something he would never have suspected because he wasn't aware of the provision Sirius had made."

"But surely he's begun to figure out that something's going on. I mean, Orion won't allow Sirius or Arabella even near me. I haven't seen either of them in nearly a week."

"Well, that's going to end today, Harry. You've already been reunited with your godmother. And as for you godfather..., well, it would appear you will be seeing him again very soon as well."

"Seeing him?"

"Voldemort has asked for a meeting. All of us together, here at the castle."

"Here at Hogwarts?" Harry ask in alarm. "But I thought Voldemort couldn't come into the castle?"

"He was able to enter the castle with Professor Querrill. This situation isn't much different, Harry."

Harry turned quickly back to his godmother, then back to Dumbledore. "Why does Voldemort want to meet with us? Doesn't he have what he wants? A new body?"

"Voldemort only said the meeting was important." Analisa put in. "He said it concerned all of us."

"He talked to you?" Harry asked, turning to her. "Why would he come to you?"  
"I've been an intermediary for him for some time, Harry. Anything to keep the lines of communication open, as it were. If he were to cut us out, we would risk losing your godfather. But as it is, it would appear we have something Voldemort wants very badly. That's why he's called for this meeting."

"What do we have that he wants?"

"Aside from most of the people he wants dead very badly in this room right now," Analisa answered flatly, "I would think very little. But he hasn't revealed that yet. We'll simply have to wait until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Voldemort had wanted the meeting for tonight." Dumbledore added. "But it will take a bit of time for your uncle to put in place all the spells we'll need to make sure that Voldemort...behaves himself while he is here."

Harry didn't press for details. He could barely sort out what he had been told as it was without adding more to it. Instead, when Arabella took him by the arm and led him out of the room, he simply followed her, deeming it the simplest thing to do.

****

Q&A

Family Relations

Silverfox:

Well, Hershel is certainly his own person, that's for sure. And liking him or not is strictly a personal choice. Having created him, I have to say I love the character. Currently I am co-writing a romance novel and Hershel sort of grew out of that. All the men in these things are perfect. Perfect face, perfect body, rich, great personality, and tear-my-cloths-off-and-love-me sexy. I decided while switching back and forth between projects to see what would come of a character just that perfect, but with one major flaw, that being that no matter how perfect he may seem, people simply can't tolerate being around him. And given the choice, what would make someone like that choose to stay that way? For Hershel, the motivation was simple. The same thing that started him down this path to begin with...the hunger for power.

I don't know that Bo is s much misunderstood as 'understood' by Talon. The relationship between them goes a lot deeper than I think people realize right now, through no fault on the part of 'people'. You guys just don't have enough information yet to make all the connections. But boiled down, remember that Talon is the host to the 'Power'. No one is closer to it than he is. The 'Power' is, in fact, a part of him. Regardless of the fact that it resides now as 'Bo' and has its own corporeal body to inhabit, it is still linked to Talon as the host by the parameters of the original spell. That is why, no matter what Orion may do with his ability as a channeler to the 'Power', Talon will always know. It is also why no one in their right mind would ever directly challenge Talon. Not even Hershel, who depends perhaps a bit too much sometimes on their long standing friendship to keep himself out of Talon's line of fire. Given the right circumstances, even Voldemort would not likely last to firing off the first spell against the man before he found himself little more than a pile of ashes on whim.

So, why doesn't Talon save everyone a lot of trouble and just get rid of Voldemort himself?

Simple. The man values his sanity...literally. And even driven to that point, he would still be host. And which would be worst? Controlling the 'Power' in the mind of a three year old, or having no control over it at all and having it lose in the mind and body of a raving lunatic?

Sort of a nasty Catch-22, you see.

Hermione would, indeed, most likely have not even gone down in the cellar in the first place. She probably wouldn't have gotten much further than Orion's library. He has a lovely restricted section.

I have currently three cats.

A black 17 -year-old who is still queen.

A tabby 11-year-old who thinks, occasionally, that she is queen. The black one usually straightens her out pretty quick, though.

A brown tabby 2-year-old who has no interest whatsoever in being queen at all, and who can love you to death at 15 paces.

Hershel doesn't want you to feel sorry for him. He far prefers fear to love. The only exception to the rule here is Katlin, who is currently holding the dubious title of the man's only trusted friend.

MasterLupin:

True. Curiosity can kill a cat. But truly, Harry has very little to fear from his current family relations. Generally he is headed well on his way to be a much adored, overly spoiled grandson and nephew.

All reviews are as of 09/10/2005.

And remember;

God's mercy on those who lost their lives to terrorists on 9/11.

And please remember that while a great many people suffered from Hurricane Katrina, so suffered a great many animals.

The national Humane Society of America is also in need of donations. Please help if you can.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N:

All right, class. Here's your assignment. You have a choice. Either prove Ghengis Kahn was just a misunderstood person crying out for help, or make Voldemort a likable character. Your choice.

(Hand goes up in the back.)

Yes?

How many days do we get on the Ghengis Kahn part?

And that, folks, is just what I felt like I was faced with from this point on.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

CHAPTER TEN: VOLDEMORT

If Harry had thought the group that he met in Dumbledore's office the day before had been odd, it fell as a pale comparison to who was there early the next morning when he and Arabella arrived.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk as always. If front of him to his right were Snape and Analisa, sitting (or standing, in Snape's case), much as they were the day before.

On the other side of the room, next to the two chairs where Harry had sat with his godmother at the previous meeting, stood Orion Black, his face the emotionless mask it usually was.

But what caught Harry's attention the most, from nearly the moment he stepped into the room, was the man seated directly in front of Dumbledore's desk.

Casually leaned back in the chair with his hands steepled in front of him, was Sirius.

Or at least, that was who it looked like. But the minute the man turned to him, Harry could tell the figure in the chair was not his godfather. The body, the face, the hair, even the smile, were all Sirius'.

But those eyes.

Even the look that had been in Sirius' eyes the day Harry had seen the first picture of his godfather in the muggle newspaper wasn't as cold as the one he met now. There was no light behind those eyes. There was no joy there. No laughter. No warmth. Just a cold, dark, hatred that burned right to your soul and froze it within you.

"Why, hello, Harry." An all too familiar voice called to him as Sirius turned in his chair and gave him a wink. "Come and give your godfather a hug."

Harry's body almost involuntarily pressed itself closer to Arabella's side as he fought to remind his senses that the man sitting in the chair, grinning mischievously at him, was not his godfather.

"What's the matter, Harry?" the figure asked, looking disappointed at Harry's response to his greeting. "Haven't you missed me?"

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked pointedly, trying to stop the fear growing inside of him. "What's happened to him?"

The figure shook it's head as it turned back to face the Headmaster. "Honestly, such devotion." The man stated without any real enthusiasm for the idea. "He's safe enough." The familiar voice continued in a slow drawl. "For now."

"Where?" Harry repeated.

The figure relaxed its stance even more in the chair, managing, if anything, to look quite bored. "Currently he's in this body as well. But it is a horrible strain on a body, you understand. Housing two souls."

"I can't imagine there are two souls in there." Arabella spoke up in a low, heated voice.

Sirius turned his eyes slowly to her. "Ahhhh, my ever charming fiancee. Such kind, loving words of devotion, Arabella."

Arabella quickly directed Harry behind Sirius' seat, keeping her hands resting protectively on his shoulders as Sirius leaned back to watch them walk behind him, the ever present smile never fading. As she walked past him, Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Arabella sneered down at him.

"Come on, Arabella." Sirius stated in a voice that to Harry was growing every bit as cold as the look behind his eyes. "What's wrong with a little attention from the man you love?"

"You are not the man I love." Arabella stated slowly as she sat Harry in his chair and took the one to the left of him, putting herself between Harry and Sirius. "And any attention from you is most unwelcome."

Harry listened to the conversation for a moment. In all his time with the two of them, even in the beginning when things hadn't been exactly smooth between them, he had never known Arabella to sound so cold to Sirius. Slowly his eyes drifted to the other occupants in the room. Across from him, Analisa sat as ridged in her chair as Harry thought a person could. Her gaze was fixed solidly on Dumbledore, while in her lap Diamond was keeping an uneasy eye on Sirius.

Behind her, Snape was watching the conversation between Arabella and Sirius. When he noted Harry's gaze on him, he quickly shifted his eyes to the man behind Harry, then just as quickly turned his stare to Dumbledore as well.

Harry fought the urge to turn around and see what expression was on his uncle's face that could have made Snape look away so fast. Snape, after all, had been a Deatheater, and Orion an Auror for the Unspeakables. Harry suddenly wondered if the two had ever met under those circumstances.

"You are the one who called for this meeting, Voldemort." Dumbledore spoke up in his usual calm voice, cutting off any further words between Arabella or the man in front of him.

Harry watched the expression on his godfather's face change as he turned to Dumbledore. He couldn't quite place the look on the face as the man turned an almost painfully pleasant stare to Dumbledore. But if he had to, that was what he would have said. It was the look of someone trying desperately hard to look pleasant.

"Indeed." Sirius' voice answered. But the mannerism behind it was anything but Sirius'. The voice, Harry thought, was still as cold as he had ever heard it. "Recently my people have been bringing me reports that have been most disturbing. They have been hearing word of another wizard who is trying to challenge my power."

"I hardly find that a bad thing." Orion spoke up for the first time.

Voldemort didn't even bother turning to him, but his expression hardened slightly as he continued to stare at Dumbledore.

"You should, Mr. Black." Voldemort answered quietly. "Because my Deatheaters have told me some very interesting tales about this wizard."

"What tales?" Dumbledore asked, cutting Orion off quickly.

Harry watched as Voldemort's eyes still never left the old man in front of him. To Harry it seemed as though the only person in the room Voldemort was truly on guard against...was Dumbledore.

"They say that this wizard has been killing people. Not so as it would be noticed, but killing them none the less. Murders that are being attributed by the ministry, I understand, to me."

"So what do you care if there is one more dark wizard out there killing muggles?" Orion spoke up quickly, making sure Dumbledore didn't stop him again.

It suddenly dawned on Harry that Orion was likely at the meeting as an agent of his department. There to gather what information he could get.

"Because this wizard isn't killing muggles, Mr. Black." Voldemort replied, his dark eyes vigilantly fixed still on Dumbledore. "He's killing our people. Wizards and witches. In fact, from what my Deatheaters tell me, we seem to be his only targets. Pure bloods as well as half-bloods. They say he has, in fact, killed no muggles that they are aware of."

"Why would this wizard want to kill other witches and wizards?" Dumbledore asked.

Voldemort narrowed his eyes slightly at the old man. "Because he fears their power. The Deatheaters say that in the area he currently occupies, there are exactly two types of wizards and witches. Those that serve him, and those that are dead."

"So far he sounds exactly like you, Voldemort." Orion put in. "Why should we involve ourselves with this wizard when we have enough trouble as it is out of you?"

"Because, Mr. Black, I at least have my limits. This wizard seems not to."

"Meaning?"

"I direct my attention to those who oppose me or meddle in my affairs. Yourself, for instance, comes to mind. This wizard, however, seems to be a good deal less...selective."

"In what way?" Orion questioned.

"Stepping in front of him seems to target you for death as far as he is concerned. Or to the side of him. Or behind him. He's just not as...discriminating as I am."

"How do we know any of what you say is even true?"

"Send your own people there, Mr. Black. Send your own spies." Voldemort answered in an almost bored tone. "See how many of them come back. But then," he added, "you already have, haven't you? I'm sure this isn't as new to you as you make it sound, is it?"

Harry stole a brief glance at his uncle. From the look on his face it did indeed seemed as though the information was not really news to Orion.

"Still," Voldemort continued, "anyone not of his own group that he senses is magical in any way, he kills out of hand. A some of my best spies have died trying to get information on him."

Orion's interest suddenly seemed to peak on the spur of the moment. "Spies?" His voice raised slightly. "You've been sending spies after this man?"

"Several."

Orion seemed to have quickly recovered himself. "Recently?"

"A few weeks ago."

"And?"

"Only one has come back. My best."

"And that was?"

Voldemort sat with his stare were it always was. "Katlin Griss."

Harry could have sworn he heard a sigh of relief behind him, but he didn't dare turn around again. But out of the corner of his eye he watched Voldemort, who sat as though also listening to the reaction, but seemed to quickly dismiss any interest in it.

"She told me much of what you've heard here. The rest are what we have pieced together from rumors. All in all, I would say this wizard is extremely dangerous, if not deranged in some way. And we wouldn't be here at all if Mr. Black hadn't gotten his nose into my business, as he seems to have a propensity for doing."

"I like to think of it as my job." Orion replied in a level voice.

"And a very dangerous one it is, Mr. Black." Voldemort stated.

Orion shrugged. "It pays well."

Voldemort turned to the man for the first time, the intense look of irritation on his face mirrored in his voice. "You interfered, Mr. Black. I had things well under-control, as would they have gone much easier for the boy had you minded your own bloody business!"

"Not when my family is involved." Orion replied as stoically as ever.

"Gentlemen." Dumbledore broke in in a quiet, but firm voice. "We are all here in this room for a common purpose. Possibly a common goal. One that will not be reached if we fight among ourselves."

"Then if we could get back to the matter at hand." Voldemort suggested shortly, giving a loud huff as he settled back to face Dumbledore. "The man is deranged and needs to be stopped."

"Then why involve us at all?" Orion asked, a small touch of still notable sarcasm in his voice. "If you have things so very well in hand?"

Harry was sure he saw his godfather's body tense slightly at the comment.

"Because," Voldemort stated in a slow, drawn out tone, "this wizard is no fool. He keeps himself hidden while others do most of his work for him."

"Hidden?" Arabella asked. "Hidden how?"

Voldemort turned to her, but there wasn't the slightest trace of menace in his expression now. "He is under a Fedelis charm. The only way to find him is through his secretkeeper."

"Do we even know who that is?" Arabella asked. "Or if they would help us?"

"I know who the secretkeeper is." Voldemort replied. "But whether or not he will help us has yet to be addressed."

"Then why are we here?" She pressed on. "Shouldn't you be out looking for this person? Enlisting their aid instead of ours?"

"I have been trying to enlist their aid." Voldemort replied, his attention once more fixed on Dumbledore. "It is exactly what I was trying to do when the elder Mr. Black so conveniently started 'doing his job'."

Arabella slowly turned his words over in her mind. And bit by bit an idea started forming in her mind. An answer to her own unasked question. A confusing rush of anticipation and dread whirled inside her, washing over her like a plug into ice cold water.

"Who?" Was all she managed to get out.

Voldemort turned his attention back to her, his mouth lifting in a controlled, unmirthful smile. "Your godson."

"Harry?" The name came out in a breathless whisper.

Harry quickly leaned around his godmother to stare at the man across from her.

"Me?" He stated. "How could it be me? I'm no one's secretkeeper. I would know."

But Voldemort only gave him a small, knowing smile. "A brilliantly contrived plan, wouldn't you say?" Voldemort asked him. "A secretkeeper who doesn't even know he is one. How can you ask someone to tell you something even they aren't aware of?"

"How do you even know any of this?" Harry asked heatedly. "If even I don't know it, how do you?"

"It's called 'work', boy." Voldemort snapped back suddenly. "And I've put a great deal of it into this. And trust me, finding out your role in this was no easy task, nor was the pay- off particularly satisfying."

Arabella turned a particularly nasty look on the man sitting next to her. "You've contrived this." She stated heatedly. "All of it. This is just...just some plan of yours."

Voldemort looked honestly shocked at the accusation. "To do what, woman? To get to the boy? Believe me, I could have thought of something a lot less convoluted than this to accomplish that."

"Not if you want to keep us off guard. To have us looking the other way while you killed my godson."

"Oh honestly." Voldemort sighed, finally turning back to Dumbledore. "Can you at least talk some sense into this woman?"

"All these weeks," Arabella quickly went on, not giving Dumbledore a chance to say anything. "all these weeks I have lived in this nightmare, not knowing what you were up to. Why you were doing this. And you are wanting me to believe all of it was simply so you could talk to my godson?"

Harry was sure at any moment Arabella was going to fly out of her chair at the man next to her.

"Why didn't you pull your head out of your..." Arabella abruptly clamped her lips tightly together, keeping herself from saying anything more. Several deep breathes later, wherein no one else in the room seemed to breath, Arabella calmed herself down enough to continue. "Why," she said in a low, level voice, "didn't you just ask?"

"You're telling me you would have listened?" Voldemort ask in a deceptively calm voice.

Arabella stared back at the man, saying nothing, though Harry was sure it took a considerable amount of self control on her part to do so.

"I think," Dumbledore broke the silent stand-off, "that perhaps we would do well to leave this matter for now and meet here again in the morning. After Mr. Black and myself have made some inquiries into Voldemort's claims. Then we can further discuss what actions to take."

Arabella was on her feet first, quickly directing Harry in front of her. But she paused long enough to turn one last time to Voldemort. "Try not to trip down any stairs on your way out." She told him with a false sweetness in her voice.

Harry didn't like the smile on the man's face one bit as he turned back to Arabella. "I don't believe there are any stairs between here and my room."

Arabella stopped abruptly and turned back to him as she and Harry reached the door.

"What?" Her anger immediately flared up again as she turned to Dumbledore. "You can't mean to allow him to stay here?"

"For various reasons, Arabella, we have no choice in the matter." Dumbledore replied.

"He's staying here? With my godson just down the hallway?"

Dumbledore put his hand up to stop any further protests. "Arabella, Orion has reworked the charms and the wards to insure that no harm can come to Harry while he is within the castle. He is perfectly safe here, I assure you."

Arabella paused, but finally leaned back towards the man in the chair behind her. "I'm locking our door just the same." She informed him in a cold and cutting tone.

Voldemort seemed completely unperturbed by the comment as Arabella directed Harry out of the room.

"So am I." He replied quietly.

****

Q&A

Family Relations

MasterLupin:

well now i look forward to this point turning chapter. It should give me enough insite to predict what will happen in the future of this story. Or at leat try to predict it. Anyway I bet Voldermort wants Harry and he will make a proposition to Harry at the meeting that if he comes with him willingly then he will release his control on Sirius. Harry will acept without thinking.

Welllllllll..., not quite, Dear. I mean, the gates are down, the lights are flashing, and all the cars have stopped, but the train just hasn't got there yet.

Of course, Voldemort is going to try to enlist Harry's aid. He has to. How he goes about that is in the next few chapters. And naturally, Sirius will be a bargaining card. But that was not the only reason Voldemort chose Sirius. There were, in fact, several. But those will also come out later.

Nice guess though, Dear. Do feel free to try again.

Hug-me:

I am glad you enjoyed the twist, Dear. I try to keep my readers on their toes.

****

Siriusly Bored

Klemex:

I am going to assume those were lines you liked, Dear. And if so, you certainly picked out some of the better ones. I'm glad if you liked the story.

Reviews are as of 09/25/2005.

And remember;

Did anyone else notice that during the reporting of damage by Hurricane Katrina, the news agencies made it seem that the only place that was hit by the hurricane was New Orleans, while the rest they made sound like someone in Alabama possibly reported a tree blown down?


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: New surgery schedule, folks. I am scheduled for November 3rd. So, we will be missing a few weekends, I'm afraid. Be prepared.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, that's the surgery on my other hand.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE VISIT

By the time they reached the rooms that the house elf led them to, Harry couldn't tell if he was worried, nervous, scared, or something else all just rolled into one. He sat on the large sofa in front of the fire as Arabella thanked the house elf and closed the door. From the corner of his vision he watched her approached the sofa and sit down next to him. Very gently she reached up and brushed a few stray bangs off his forehead.

"'Penny for your thoughts' is what I think they say." She said softly.

Harry slowly shook his head. "For all the galleons in Gringotts I don't think I could tell you what's on my mind right now." He said in a low, distant voice.

"Little confused?" Arabella asked.

"Lot confused." Harry corrected her as he turned to look at her finally. "Arabella, is what they said true. All of it? I mean, trying to accept that Voldemort is really in Sirius' body is hard enough. But the rest of it..."

"Harry, I know it's a lot to take in. And the best compass I can give you is to tell you to listen to Dumbledore. Follow his advice. And in the end, you know I'll be there for you still."

"After I left the adoption agency...what happened?" Harry ask. "Surely you didn't stay with him?"

Arabella shook her head. "There was never any real danger to me, Harry." Arabella replied. "You were who Voldemort wanted, not me. When Voldemort first entered Sirius' body, so to speak, Sirius was still mostly in control. It was then that he started making the provisions to change your custody. He must have had some idea of what was going on and he was trying to provide a way to keep you safe. Then Analisa told us about the spell and what she knew had happened. After that our main goal was to make sure you were never alone with Sirius until we could figure out what to do."

"So that was when the trips started."

Arabella nodded. "I think I imposed on every relative I have to try and keep us both out of the house. Thankfully Dumbledore finally went to Orion, who had been informed by the courts of the change of custody. He felt Sirius must have made the change for the very reason of providing us with a unchallengeable, suspicion-free way to get you out of the house permanently. The very day Orion took you away I went to stay with my Aunt Rose. Voldemort was so thrown by the change in his well laid plan, I hardly think he even noticed I wasn't there anymore."

"Did you know what was going on?"

Arabella shook her head again. "I had my suspicions, but I said nothing. Not until Analisa told us about the spell did I know anything for sure. And as I said, at the steps of the adoption agency, I left. I told Sirius I was going to see my Aunt June."

Harry thought for a moment, remembering all the people they had gone to stay with. But no one by the name of 'June' came to mind. "But you don't have an Aunt June, do you?"

"No." Arabella confirmed. "But it was my only way to let Sirius know something was amiss and I was now fully aware of it. I didn't know just how much Voldemort knew about Sirius' life and the people in it. So I took a chance that Sirius would know I had no Aunt June and understand why I was leaving and that Voldemort wouldn't."

"So...you didn't know anything about what happened at the adoption agency."

"Oh, I knew." Arabella looked close to tears. "But it didn't make it any easier. They were going to approve the adoption, Harry. I know they were. When Orion came in and took you away I felt like someone had just ripped my heart out."

Harry paused for a second, unsure of if he really wanted to ask the next question. But his curiosity finally won out. "What about later?" He asked quietly. "When all of this is over with and we have Sirius back?"

"What do you mean, Dear?"

Harry stared at the floor for a moment. "Are you and Sirius still..."

Understanding suddenly lit Arabella's face as she swept her godson into a tight hug. "How can you even think differently?" She asked. "Of course we're still going to adopt you! Harry, it's what we wished for so hard. What we worked all those weeks for. What Sirius and I talked about all summer, and hoped for, and dreamed about. That one day we would have you for our son. Yes, my love, we are still going to try and adopt you."

"And what about you and Sirius?" He asked over her shoulder. "Are you still going to get married?"

Arabella released him as she briskly wiped back a small tear. "Well," she choked a little over the word, "that will be up to Sirius, won't it?"

"But he asked you, right?"

"Yes, but that could have been under Voldemort's influence."

"Influence? Why would Voldemort care if you and Sirius got married or not?"

"Because Voldemort's plan was to get you completely under his control without anyone questioning it. And he knew that in an adoption, things would go easier if Sirius and I were married...or planning on being married, than just a couple living together."

Harry nodded again slowly. "I just...I wish I could talk to Sirius, Arabella. Just to know that he's O.K.. That he's still..."

"Sirius is Voldemort's bargaining chip right now, Harry. Whatever it is he wants from us, he knows his only card to play against us is Sirius. He isn't going to let anything happen to him."

"But we don't even know that Sirius is really..."

"Dumbledore said that Voldemort is telling the truth, Harry. Remember what I told you."

"Listen to Dumbledore."

"That's right."

A sudden knock on the door interrupted them. Arabella slowly got up and walked over to it. When she opened the door, much to her surprise, there stood Sirius.

A quick smile played across the face. "Hello, Arabella. Happy to see me?"

"Your body perhaps. The rest of you I couldn't care less about."

"That tongue of yours is getting a little too sharp for my liking, Arabella. I would suggest you guard it better. Besides, it isn't you I've some to see. It's Potter."

Arabella remained blocking the doorway. "What is it you want to see my godson about?"

"Honestly, woman. Could you be any more over-protective?"

"What do you want to see him about?"

A wicked smile played across the man's face. "If you let me in, you might find out."

Arabella remained where she was.

Voldemort sighed quietly. "Dumbledore has enough charms placed all over this castle that I couldn't hurt the boy if I wanted to. But if you would think for a moment about what I've already told you, why would I want to harm him? He's the only key to my ever finding this other wizard. Without Potter I could look to the end of time and never find him. Believe me, the boy is safer than he's ever been in his life. Because on top of you, that lunatic Auror, and Dumbledore, the boy now has me looking out for his welfare."

"Why don't I find that comforting in the least?"

"I have no idea."

"Then once more, before I slam this door in your face, why do you want to speak to my godson?"

By this time Harry had come to the door as well. Although he knew well enough that Arabella would have preferred he had remained as far from Voldemort as he could get, he couldn't deny he was just a little curious as to what he wanted to see him about.

"Well?" Arabella asked as she watched Voldemort's eyes shift to where Harry now stood.

"You seemed a little apprehensive in the meeting, Potter. A little unsure of what to decide to do. Am I right?"

Harry remained standing behind his godmother a few feet, neither admitting or denying the dark lord's claim.

"And since it seems to me that you couldn't so much as decide to blow your own nose without first asking your godfather about it, I thought you might want to ask his sage advice in this matter as well."

Harry looked a bit skeptical. "How can I? You're not my godfather right now."

"But I can be, Potter."

"How?"

"The control of the consciousness of this body is a simple thing really, Potter." Voldemort explained. "If I were to relinquish my hold on it, your godfather would take over again as a matter of natural course."

"I could talk to Sirius?" Harry's voice rose a little in anticipation.

"Easily enough."

Harry looked suddenly skeptical again. "How would I know it was really Sirius and not just you telling me what you want me to do?"

"You wouldn't know your own godfather?"

Harry paused, then turned to Arabella.

Arabella studied her godson's expression for a moment. But seeing the pleading hopefulness there, finally stepped back from the door.

"All right." She stated firmly. "You can come in. But one wrong move, and so help me..."

"I already explained to you, woman. No one wants to see the boy hurt. Least of all me."

"And quite a few people want to see you hurt." Arabella replied with a sarcastic smile. "Especially me."

Voldemort turned to Harry. "This is the woman that you're being given over to to be raised by? Honestly, Potter, you'd be better off raised by wolves."

"You said I could talk to Sirius." Harry pointed out.

"Patience is a virtue, young man. One you'd do well to acquire."

"You said I could talk to Sirius." Harry repeated. "Now either let me talk to him or you can leave."

The man sighed quietly and sat down on the sofa. He turned a hopeful smile to Harry.

"So, will you miss me while I'm gone?"

"Sirius." Harry replied bluntly, his expression set in a hard stare.

Voldemort shook his head. Sitting on the sofa he went very still. From what Harry could tell the body didn't seem to move at all. But quite suddenly the body came back to life. It wavered slightly, and then took a gasping breath as though it had just come up for air.

Harry jumped back slightly, unsure of what to think of the display. Perhaps it was just more of Voldemort's bizarre sense of humor. Letting Harry think he could talk to Sirius. But if Voldemort was playing some sick game, Harry was all too ready for him.

The man on the sofa sat for a moment, then looked about as though he had never seen the room before in his life. His eyebrows came together in a deep frown as he continued to look about. But the look suddenly vanished as his gaze fell on Harry.

"Harry!" He stated in a cry of joy.

Two strong arms wrapped themselves about Harry and dragged him over to the man in an exuberant hug.

"Sirius?" Harry asked, pulling back from the man's arms. "Is it really you?"

Sirius' face broke into a wide smile. "Yes, it's me, Harry. It's all right. Voldemort told you the truth."

"You know what's been going on?" Harry questioned.

Sirius nodded. "Everything. It's not pleasant. It's sort of like being in a small box where you can't do anything but watch what's happening around you. But I'm all right."

Harry focused a skeptical stare on the man. "If you're Sirius," he stated firmly, "then where were you hiding my fourth year at Hogwarts."

Sirius grinned at his godson. "In the cave on the side of the mountain outside of Hogsmeade. Satisfied?"

Harry paused, then nodded as he fell back into Sirius' arms. The question was a surefire verification method as far as Harry knew, since he was certain no one else knew where Sirius had been hiding except he, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, and probably Remus and Arabella.

But Sirius quickly pulled him back. "Don't count on questions like that to prove anything, Harry." Sirius warned him. "Voldemort will know the answers to them. So don't trust that method."

"How does he know?"

"How isn't important right now." Sirius turned quickly to Arabella. Up on his feet in a matter of seconds, he took her face in his hands. "Oh, my only love," he whispered to her, "how I have missed you."

Harry watched Sirius draw Arabella into a deeply passionate kiss.

Some things just never changed.

"Well, that clenches it." Harry stated. "Voldemort wouldn't be kissing Arabella right now if he were under an Imperious Curse."

Arabella pulled back from the kiss and turned to her godson. "Believe it." She stated in a resolute tone.

Sirius turned to his godson, sitting back on the sofa next to him.

"Now listen to me," he stated quickly, turning briefly to Arabella as well, "both of you. You are not to listen to Voldemort. You understand me." Sirius focused his gaze on Harry. "You are not to do what he's asking you, Harry. Not for anything in this world. You go to Dumbledore. You tell him..."

But Sirius stopped abruptly. A look of extreme pain crossed his face as he drew back.

"Sirius?" Harry cried. "Sirius! What's wrong?"

But Sirius didn't answer. Instead he continued to move away from his godson, his grimace growing deeper by the second.

But as suddenly as it had appeared, the expression vanished and Sirius turned a pleasant smile to Harry. But Harry instantly drew back from the friendly smile. Instinctively he knew the smile, as well as the eyes looking back at him, were not those of his godfather any longer.

"You said I could talk to him." Harry stated defiantly.

"And Black didn't play by the rules." Voldemort replied. "The man knows certain things about me now. Things he knew he wasn't going to be allowed to tell you. He chose to ignore that, and I had to stop him. As he knew I would."

"What things?" Arabella asked.

Voldemort turned to her with a small smile. "Ahhh, now, Arabella, that would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? If I'm not allowing Black to tell you, I'm certainly not going to tell you myself now, am I?"

"How would Sirius know anything about you?" Harry asked.

"The same way I know things about him. Its the reason your godfather told you not to trust asking questions only he should know the answer to as a way of telling who your talking to, Potter. Clever of you, but ineffective. You see, Black and I are sharing not only the same body, but for all intents and purposes, the same mind. When I allow Black to take control of this body, I'm still a part of that mind, as are my thoughts and my memories. All there for him to access. So you see, Black knows most of my secrets, Potter. Things I wouldn't want anyone else to know. You understand." He added, giving Harry a friendly wink. "And I did warn him to not say anything. But not two seconds out of the gate, and what is he doing? First he's making some disgusting display of affection all over you. Next he's accosting your poor godmother. And third, he starts laying out my life story for the Daily Prophet."

"Boring read." Arabella put in.

"Speak for yourself, Figg." Voldemort sneered at her. "I wasn't the one, after all, living in that barn of a house for fourteen years while I played voyeur to my godson."

"At least I was doing something constructive for fourteen years."

"So was I, woman. It was called staying alive."

"I don't necessarily consider that a worthwhile pursuit."

"Wait a minute." Harry interrupted quickly, before the argument went too far. "If Sirius knows everything about you and all your plans, how can you say that you'll ever release him? When you do, he'll still tell what he knows."

"Because when I do release him, Potter, I can erase those memories from his mind. Right now it's a matter of not wanting to have to rebuild my memories into his mind every time you want to have a chat with your godfather. But when I leave this body, since I won't be back, there's no need to leave them there."

Harry sat for a minute staring at the man before him. "Sirius said I wasn't to trust you." He said finally. "He said I wasn't to do what you want. Not for anything in this world."

Voldemort sighed as he leaned back on the sofa. "Now you see," he stated, "I just knew letting you talk to your godfather wasn't a good idea. I knew he'd be giving you bad advice. 'Not for anything in this world'? What about his life, Potter? Do you think he meant that as well?"

"I think Sirius knew what he was saying. And I think he must have had a very good reason for telling me that. Besides, you can't kill Sirius without killing that body as well. Analisa said so."

"Yessss...," Voldemort drawled out. "I really do need to thank my pretty little flower for being so helpful one day." he stated quietly with a slight sigh. "True enough, Potter. I can't kill Black without killing the body as well. But you see, I won't have to."

Harry stared up at the man.

"Not have to?"

"No. You see, the spell I'm using is a bit tricky. But it has certain parameters that you can bank on. Certain facts that can't be ignored, and so the spell works to accommodate them. And one of those basic facts is that two personalities...two 'souls'...if you like, can't survive in one body. And so the spell works with that fact to fix the problem before it becomes critical."

"Fix it how?"

"It tries to merge the two personalities. Forming one. Now granted, I may not be totally myself, but things are changing as I gain more and more control of this body and it's mind. The more time that passes, the more both personalities begin to merge together. Eventually neither of them will exist separately anymore. Both individuals will, in the end, cease to exist and one personality will emerge."

"But one personality has to remain." Harry reasoned. "One 'person' has to be left, just with the memories of the two."

"Very true."

"And since the body was originally Sirius', that would mean it should be him. And even if he has some of your personality, that wouldn't be so bad."

"One would think that would be the most logical thing to happen, Potter." Voldemort agreed almost pleasantly. "But you see, under the spell's parameters, the 'surviving' personality would be the worker of the original spell. It would, therefore, be me with some of your godfather's personality mixed in." Voldemort frowned slightly. "Can't say as I have the same bright outlook on that prospect as you do."

"But what will happen to Sirius then?"

"I told you that, Potter." Voldemort repeated with a touch of irritation in his voice. "His personality and his memories will remain. But the consciousness of him in this body will be gone. And nothing will bring it back."

"But that will take time." Harry stated hopefully.

"True. Possibly a very long time. But I can assure you, while you keep trying to think up feeble ways in which to stop the process, I can lock him away in a place that's a hundred times darker and colder than Azkaban ever was to him. And I can make the tortures he suffered there seem like a cake-walk next to what I can do to him."

"And I still think Sirius had to have had a reason for saying what he did. And I think it's because you aren't telling us the truth about this wizard. I think there's a lot more to this than you're telling us."

Voldemort sighed as he got to his feet. "Perhaps." He answered, staring down at Harry with a small smile. "But are you really ready to risk your godfather's life on that bet?"

Harry shuddered slightly under that smile. It was a cold, mirthless smile that stopped at the corners of his mouth and never quite managed to reach the rest of his face.

"Do think it over, Potter." Voldemort added as he headed for the door, stopping there for a moment as he turned briefly back to Harry. "I'll be just down the hall if you should need me." He added.

And with that he turned and left the room.

****

Q&A

FEVER

Scout t. cassie:

****

the name isn't spelled Remes its Remus Lupin

And oddly enough you were only the second person to point that out.

****

FAMILY RELATIONS

King of the Britons:

****

I know that you've said that your story doesn't really reflect canon after book 4, but this really doesn't seem Harry Potter material at this point at all. The characterization isn't anything like the characters in the book. Especially Voldemort, you seriously underestimate his evil depravity in believing he'd simply sit down and be allowed to go unscathed with Dumbledoor in the room, let alone Dumbledoor calmly going about talking with him. Even besides the fact that it isn't supposed to be canon-based, the likelihood that any of the characters would react/behave in the way you've contrived just doesn't seem characteristic of any of the Harry Potter characters at all.

You have a point, Dear. However, this is a fanfiction. The story is canon, which only states in an AU that your story holds true to certain facts laid down in the original story. Characterizations are a bit up for grabs.

Now, were I playing fast and loose with the characters, I could probably get away pretty easily with that last statement. However, I also have a very good reason fro why Voldemort isn't his horrible, awful self in this story. If you read this chapter, it is partially laid out here for you. One body, two personalities, each fighting for a foothold. Voldemort's personality is being influenced directly by Sirius. (And keep in mind, that works both ways.) So basically what you have here is 'What would Voldemort be like if he wasn't a raving homicidal lunatic?'.

Personally, I find it a very interesting subject which is going to be pondered so deeply in this story, if you're not happy with Voldemort now, I can promise you, it won't get any better.

TheGodfatheroftheByWhoLived:

Thank you, Dear.

hug-me:

I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Jax:

****

What would have otherwise been a reasonably interesting story is ruined by the presence of 'Katlin' the Mary-Sue.

If you're making this reference in the understanding that a 'Mary-Sue' is 'a character introduced into a story for the sole purpose of allowing the author to incorporate themselves into the story in a perfectionalistic view', then all I can say is 'Phhhhfffffffft! Man, I wish!'. Boy, would I ever love to see myself as a drop-dead gorgeous, idealization of womanhood with a brain to boot.

Unfortunately, my imagination is not that good, and I do not.

Katlin is about as far from a 'Mary Sue' as I can imagine. She is hardly perfection, if you read Enemies. And like any good character, she has her quirks and her faults as well as her strengths and abilities. But mostly she serves as the perfect counter-resistance for Orion. Something he desperately needs.

MasterLupin:

****

Oh I will, I will. Ok this mistry person is got to be someone who was in contact with Harry and could give him inforation while no one not even Harry knew it. So this person is probaly someone that Harry came into contact with befor Hogwarts. Maybe it is another relative.

Ummmmmmm..., nice try. But no.

Harry's being the wizard's secret keeper was a stroke of pure genius on this person's part. First, you get a person who's too young to understand what you are doing to them. Second, you make sure the person is too young to ever tell anyone what they want to know for several years. And once they are old enough to talk, they don't remember what it is they were suppose to know.

Did Harry's parent's know the other wizard? No. The spell was enacted without their knowledge.

How was that possible? Remember, you are not dealing with your average wizard here. This wizard is someone even Voldemort is afraid of. Worried enough, in fact, that he feels the only way to deal with this wizard is to eliminate him.

Also, I would like to point out once again, just for reference sake, that this wizard has an agenda. He's after something. And since he can't get to it, he's going to bring it to him.

All reviews are as of 10/09/2005.

And remember:

According to the news, there was no hurricane after Katrina, just a bad storm and a lot of wind. And the only down side to it was a really bad traffic jam.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Well, if you're even remotely interested where I've been, it's been at home recuperating. And it has not been going well to say the least. The second operation did not have the success of the first it seems. The hand hurts worse, and it shouldn't be. It is stiff and poorly coordinated, and it shouldn't be. And it is hard to use it, and it shouldn't be. Plus, I have a new keyboard, which should make typing easier, and it ain't. In short, nothing went as planned.

'Nough about that. On to other stuff.

OK. It's short, it's sweet, it's to the point. That pretty well describes this chapter. Its whole existence is somewhat new as it is. This chapter was not part of the original story, but I felt I needed something to sort of smooth over the whole transition of what is coming. So, consider this chapter fair warning of what is to come.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**Chapter Eleven A: Because It Was Necessary **

The next several days at the castle were anything but pleasant from Arabella's point of view. Between trying to keep an eye on Harry and wondering what Voldemort was up to, she hardly had a moment of thought that wasn't occupied by one or the other. Harry was fairly easy to keep an eye on. Seemingly as thrown by the turn of events as she was, he never stray far from her presence, seeming to take comfort in the familiarity of having her close at hand.

Voldemort was a completely different story. All she was left with of the man was to wonder what he was up to. Since the day he had come to their room, she had only seen him once. And that had been such an unexpected passing she couldn't even think of how to react before he was gone.

The encounter had taken place just outside of the entrance to Dumbledore's office. She had been only passing by, following behind Harry as they walked down the corridor when Voldemort had appeared from a side corridor, cutting directly across her path as he headed for the entrance to the Headmaster's office. He had looked as stunned as she was at the chance encounter. For a brief moment, Arabella had thought it was Sirius. But had it been him, she likely would have been grabbed up in an enthusiastic hug and kissed senseless, regardless of the teenage audience just a few feet down the hall. But instead she was given only a muttered acknowledgement before the man slipped past her and disappeared up the staircase at a quick pace. She stood listening to the ascending footsteps, hearing the door open and close quickly just as Harry came back to join her.

"What did Voldemort want?" Harry ask.

"It certainly wasn't to say 'Hello'." she answered, glancing up the stairs, slightly irritated that if he was going to take the time to speak at all, it could have at least been to say something intelligible.

Harry followed her stare. "It didn't sound like he even knocked." Harry commented. "Do you think he's in Dumbledore's office alone?"

"I doubt it. No one can get in unless Dumbledore wants them there."

Harry took one last look up the stairs before Arabella directed him back down the corridor. "It's probably a meeting, Harry." she stated.

Harry hesitated. "But what if it isn't? What if he's up there...causing trouble?" was the best description Harry could give to his fears.

Arabella gave him a patient smile. "The most mischief Voldemort could cause right now would be to throw a dungbomb in the girls toilet. And somehow I don't see him going to the trouble."

"But we can't be sure. We know what he's capable of."

"And I know what Orion is capable of as well, and he has the whole castle warded. Voldemort couldn't cast a malicious spell if he wanted to while the wards are in place."

Harry didn't look totally convinced, but allowed Arabella to guide him off on down the corridor.

Arabella stopped off at the library, telling Harry she needed to look up some spell books before they returned to their rooms.

As he followed Arabella about the rows of shelves, he looked down one corridor to notice Orion sitting at a table. Glancing at Arabella, who was absorbed in the book she had just taken off the shelve, Harry walked slowly down the short corridor to the table where the Unspeakable sat. He hadn't seen the man in days and had wondered if he was even still in the castle. And since Arabella didn't seem to have any more idea of what Voldemort was up to than he did, Harry thought his soon-to-be uncle might be a good source of information.

Harry carefully seated himself in the chair next to Orion, cautiously waiting to see what sort of reception he got.

But the man hardly seemed to notice he was even there. With his face nearly buried in a book, he only glanced aside to make a few notes on a piece of parchment before his finger continued to skim the pages.

Harry slowly leaned over to try to get a glimpse of what the book was about.

"Something I can do for you, Harry?" Orion ask, never once looking up.

Harry jumped back slightly. "I...I just wondered what you were doing." he tried to respond in a voice that didn't sound like he had been caught doing something wrong.

"Research." came the brief reply.

"About what?" If the man was trying to find answers, maybe the questions had something to do with what Voldemort had done to Sirius.

"Nothing that concerns you." Orion answered.

Although there was no malice or sharpness in the answer, Harry knew the subject was just as effectively closed.

Harry pulled back slightly in the chair again, wondering if there was some other way to get any information out of the man.

"If you must sit there, at least be useful." Orion instructed, pointing to the section of books to his left. "Go and get me the first book on the third shelve there, fourth row of books, closest to the end near us. Called 'Spells Through The Ages' by Walter Manton."

Harry glanced up at the sign over the door leading to the area Orion directed him to. "But that's the Restricted section." Harry pointed out.

The Unspeakable looked up for the first time. "Yes?"

"I'm a student. I can't go in there without permission."

"And you have it. So off you go."

Harry shrugged to himself as he got to his feet. Surely the permission of an Unspeakable was good enough. Harry quickly headed down the row of books but stopped when he heard a page flip over. Curious about who else would be in the Restricted section, Harry carefully peered around the corner of the book shelf.

His first instinct was to run. Followed closely by his second, third, and fourth, all suggesting running as the best course of action as he pulled quickly back. But as he turned around, he stumbled straight into the bookshelf behind him.

The shelf teetered precariously, but stayed upright, with only a few books falling to the floor. But they were enough to capture the attention of the creature down the adjoining corridor.

Seated on the floor, paging through the book in his lap like any well engrossed three year old, Bo looked up at the unexpected noise. A loud trill of excitement came from under the black hood as the pile of material seemed to practically materialize to an upright position and head straight for Harry.

Deciding in mere seconds that Orion would have to get his own book, Harry turned and headed at full speed out of the Restricted Section, every instinct honed on finding his godmother as fast as possible.

Harry went charging past Orion without a word. The Unspeakable seemed to take no notice of the teenager's departure, but without glance or a word, reached out behind him just as the tower of black robes shot past. Managing to grab a handful of material, Orion yanked the boggart to an abrupt halt.

Meanwhile, Harry came to an equally abrupt stop next to his godmother, who glanced down at him as he panted for breath.

"I thought you were with Orion." she commented. "Where did you go?"

"I was!" Harry defended quickly. "But he wanted me to go look for a book for him in the Restricted Section, but that boggart was there, and he came after me, and..."

"Orion sent you into the Restricted Section?" Arabella stated firmly. Grabbing Harry's shoulder, she marched him in front of her back to where Orion was sitting. "We'll just have a word about that."

Harry was less than pleased that, one, they were going back to where the boggart had been, and two, Arabella seemed more concern about where he had been than in what had almost happened to him.

As they approached the table, Harry slowed down to study the sight before him. Orion was still seated at the table, but he now had his hand gripped around the robes of the boggart, who, on seeing Harry, began to tug against the hold.

Orion yanked back on the robes. "Down, boy." he instructed calmly.

Bo not only didn't stop struggling to get free, he started to try harder to break Orion's grip.

Just as he seemed near his goal, Orion suddenly pushed the book he was studying to the side, in line with the boggart.

"Bo! Look! A book!" Orion announced with all the enthusiasm of someone throwing a stick to a dog.

The effect was very similar.

Not only did the boggart stop struggling, but he instantly descended on the book and within seconds was once again seated in the floor with the book in his lap, happily flipping pages.

Harry noted that Arabella surveyed the whole scene with less than a quirked eyebrow.

"How can you even bring him in here?" she asked the man still seated at the table.

"Harry?" the Unspeakable inquired innocently? "I didn't. You did."

"Bo!" Arabella stipulated.

Orion simply smiled up at them. "It's full of books!" he explained. "You know how Bo just loves books."

"He likes to turn pages." Arabella commented as Bo, as if on cue, happily flipped one over.

"And how can you let him in the Restricted Section? Which also goes for my godson."

"Bo likes the Restricted Section." Orion replied mildly. "And Harry was on a task for me. I didn't give he free rein to wander about."

"I would appreciate you doing your own tasks." Arabella replied.

Before Orion could answer Harry looked up at his godmother. "You know about Bo?" he ask.

Arabella turned her attention to him. "Everyone knows about the Blacks pet boggart, Harry." she replied with a small smile. "Although with Orion, the emphasis seems on the word 'pet'."

"He's extremely well behaved." Orion defended.

"Fine." Arabella retorted. "Maybe he could serve as mascot for one of the houses."

"Probably Slytherin." Harry all but mumbled, his gaze never leaving the pile of black robes seated on the floor.

"Why do you say that?" A sharp voice caused Harry to look up.

Harry found himself staring into the hard, cold gaze of Orion.

"He just seems...suited to them." he fumbled for the right words, wondering what he had said that upset the Unspeakable.

"Bo would most definitely not go to Slytherin." Orion replied, his voice tainted with a barely disguised anger.

Before Harry could begin to figure out what he had said wrong, Arabella grabbed him by the shoulder and led him away. "Come on," she stated, "it's almost time for lunch."

Once in the hallway, Harry turned to his godmother. "What did I say wrong?" he ask.

"Don't you know?" Arabella asked, then quickly amended her statement. "No. Of course you won't"

"Know what?"

Arabella kept walking. "When Orion first came to Hogwarts, he was originally almost sorted into Slytherin."

"He was a Slytherin?" Harry was astonished at the news.

"Almost." Arabella corrected. "His father, Talon Black, who was at the time was a very powerful and very well respected Auror, demanded his son be resorted. Insisting the hat had made a mistake. It was the first and only time to date any student has ever been resorted. But when it was done, the hat resorted him into Gryffindor."

"But..." Harry reasoned slowly, "...that would mean the Sorting Hat had made a mistake. But I thought it never did."

"It doesn't." Arabella confirmed. "But how can you argue that point when the hat resorted him into a different house? Had the hat sent him to Slytherin again, no one would have thought twice about it. But it didn't. It resorted him into a different house. And Gryffindor at that." Arabella sighed softly. "After that things were never easy for Orion. Neither house seemed to want anything to do with him. The Slytherins were openly hostile to him and the Gryffindors treated him with polite caution. He was basically abandoned by both houses and left to fend for himself.

While he was at Hogwarts, Orion never felt he belonged. He was never given the chance to. Mostly he spent his time here trying to carve out his own personal nitch. An effort that often led to fights. Ones he at first lost, and later started to win, until the other students began to avoid him, not out of mistrust, but out of fear. Orion became what you might refer to as a 'hard case', and he laid most the blame for his battles on Slytherins doorstep. If you wanted something done to a Slytherin, and you had the guts to ask, Orion was the person to go to. He would do anything to irritate the Slytherins. And usually just for fun. Few students dared even approach him. I think after a while even the teachers became cautious of him.

But when he graduated he eventually ended up with the Unspeakables, where that nitch he carved out for himself seemed to fit perfectly."

Harry didn't say anything in response, but opted instead to follow his godmother in silence, mulling over the new information.

The following day Harry found himself called to the Headmaster's office along with Arabella. Once there Harry quickly noted that the people present composed most of the same list as those that were there when he had first arrived at the castle. Noting again quickly the one person absent was Sirius. Or in this case, Voldemort.

"Do come in, Harry, Arabella." Dumbledore said, indicating the two chairs in front of his desk for them to sit in.

"Is Voldemort coming?" Harry ask curiously.

Dumbledore shook his head. "This meeting is to discuss the situation we find ourselves in regarding Voldemort." The Headmaster replied. "Orion has been researching the spell Voldemort used to effect his take over of Sirius' body. And I wanted all of you to hear what he had to say."

Given the floor, Orion pulled a piece of parchment out of the pocket of the shirt he wore as he began to speak. "The spell in and of itself isn't really that complicated. I was actually surprised how easy it was to find. However, the spell as it was originally set up did not do what Voldemort used it for. So the spell had to be altered. As we know, no one can best Voldemort for tampering with spells. He can twist them about until they are hardly recognizable anymore. But this time I think he may have beat himself at his own game."

Arabella looked up suddenly. "Is there something wrong with the spell? Something that may hurt Sirius in the end?"

Orion shook his head. "For the moment I believe what Voldemort has told us is true concerning Sirius. He's perfectly safe. But that is where I think what he has told us ends as far as the truth is concerned. Or at least the truth as he knows it."

"Meaning?" Arabella ask past a slight frown.

"I don't think even Voldemort knows what his manipulations to this spell could eventually lead to. The spell was never intended to be used the way Voldemort has used it. Therefore, it has faults in it. Weaknesses that he isn't entirely aware of."

"For instance?"

"I don't believe Voldemort is the personality in control of the body at present."

"Then who is? It's not Sirius."

"No. The personality currently in control, while predominantly Voldemort, is really more of a combination of the two personalities."

"Well, that make sense." Arabella replied. "I mean, currently he's almost...likable." she paused as she looked for the right word.

"That's understandable." Orion replied. "And for better or worse, depending on how you look at it, it's likely to only get worse."

"Worse how?"

"Voldemort's personality is being influenced currently by Sirius. Whether or not Sirius is actively doing it I can't say. But he's serving to...temper Voldemort's otherwise, shall we say..., volatile characteristics. Think of him this way. Think of the person Tom Riddle use to be. He had a great deal of charm and could talk his way into or out of almost anything. That charm and charisma was what he used to get so many people to follow him. To believe in his ideals and embrace his cause. This personality...this person you are seeing now, is the man Tom Riddle would have become had he not become Lord Voldemort."

Arabella thought about what Orion had said for a moment. "But...isn't that a good thing?" she ask finally. "I mean, Tom Riddle we can likely reason with. He's not just one brick short of being a full blown raving lunatic."

"He's still Voldemort, Arabella." Orion explained. "He still harbors those thoughts and ideals. He's still just as cunning. Just as capable of evil. Just as brutal as he ever was."

"So what's the difference?"

Orion gave her a mirthless smile. "He's just nicer about it now."

"So basically," she stated, "what we're dealing with is simply a 'nicer version' of the same person?"

"What we have is a workable personality." Orion replied. "It's not good or bad completely. I would still most definitely not turn my back on him, but I would suspect he'll think about it longer before he decides to knife me in it if I did."

"So you're saying we should what? Trust him?"

"Hardly. Voldemort may be an easier pill to swallow right now, but the aftertaste is still the same. He still has his own agenda here. I'm only suggesting that things may not be as bad as we originally thought in dealing with him. As you said. Currently he's almost...'likable'." he added in the same tone Arabella had used for the word.

"But that's not all there is too it, is there?"

Orion paused, then shook his head. "No. There's more. At the moment the personality seems stable. But due to the manipulation of the spell, I believe we'll find that's only a temporary situation. Pressed in the wrong manner, the personalities could gain or lose ground."

"Pressed in what wrong manner?"

"Each personality has a focus. For Voldemort, it's what it has always been. Survival at all costs. The man has fought his whole life to simply survive and preserve his way of life. He's a fighter. And should the personalities feel threatened, that is the one that will gain ground the fastest.

Sirius was always more laid back. Very little ruffled him unless his friends or family were threatened. But he rarely acted overtly. He would think things out before taking action.

Based on this, we have to be careful how we act with Voldemort. If we treat him with hostility, that's exactly what we'll get in return. Because that's the need in him we will be feeding into. The more tempered we are around him, the better the chance we preserve Sirius' personality over Voldemort's. Because in the end, whichever is the strongest is the one that will dominate."

"So you're suggesting we be 'nice' to him?"

"I'm suggesting that whenever you have to interact with him, you remember that part of what makes up the person you are talking to is my brother. Talk to him like you would to Sirius and that's the personality that will answer you. It's still Voldemort on the surface. But Sirius is lurking just beneath. Looking for any opportunity to weaken Voldemort's hold."

"Is it possible, if we keep trying to reach Sirius, he could break this spell?"

Orion shook his head. "Only Voldemort can end the spell. All we can do is try and manipulate it to Sirius' advantage to give him the best possibility of being in control of the emotions and thoughts of the body."

"So, treat him like we would treat Sirius." Arabella mulled over the thought.

"Treat him without hostility." Orion corrected. "You'll get what you give with him, Arabella. All of you." Orion glanced around to each of the rooms occupants in turn. "If we can preserve Sirius' personality as the dominant one, mores the better. But we can't separate him from Voldemort entirely. So the more tolerant we are to him, the better it will be for us in the end."

"And what is the end, Mr. Black?" Dumbledore ask.

Orion turned back to the old wizard. "I'm not sure what Voldemort's ultimate goal is. We have no idea why he wants this wizard in the North removed so badly. The man is some threat to him. If by power alone, I could understand Voldemort's wanting to stop him. But there's more to it than that. Voldemort says the man kills anyone who gets in his way. Wizards, witches, and muggles alike. What he doesn't seem to know anymore than we do is 'why'. What does the man want? If he were just out to cause havoc, he's being pretty systematic about it. If he just wanted territory, he has that. If he wanted followers, he has them. But the man makes no statements, issues no warnings, no ultimatums. Whoever he is, he's absolutely sure of his goals and their outcome. So much so he feels no need to bother communicating with the rest of the wizarding community about them. And that, above anything else, worries me."

"Why?" Harry spoke up.

Orion turned his attention to him. "Because that isn't just confidence, Harry." the Unspeakable pointed out. "That's self-assurance without doubt. The man knows what he wants and he has absolutely no doubt he will get it. The problem we have is, we don't what that thing is, so we have no way of protecting it."

"So our best bet to beat him..." Arabella started.

But Orion finished the sentence for her. "...is Voldemort."

**Q&A**

**Family Life**

Steel-Pheonix:

In that case, Dear, all women need one. Could help out the male population of the planet though.

**Family Relations**

MasterLupin:

**hmm... So if he is going to bring it to himself then maybe Voldermort and Dumbledore are playing right into his hands. After all this person is probably a brilaint stratagist. Is it Grindelwald the wizard the Dumbledore defeated in 1945?**

I wouldn't say that Dumbledore and Voldemort are playing into the wizard's hands exactly. But that meeting is a way off yet. The wizard himself acts mostly through agents, as you will see in later chapters. Rarely does he involve himself in the mundane happenings around him. However, the fact he does operate so completely through others is a large part of who and what he is. It is also a large part of who he is ultimately after.

No, Dear. Not Grindelwald. Nice guess though.

Silverfox:

**Aha! Finally got the idea to log in before trying to convince that chapter 13 does exist and behold ... Suppose now one has to have an account to read the fics ... at least if you want to read the whole thing. ... Wait a minute, if Harry is the secret keeper and doesn't even know, he can't tell anybody, but unless the secret keeper tells them nobody can find the 'secret'. So how do the anonymous dark wizard's own people find him? And how and when was Harry turned into a secret keeper? I suppose the easiest answer would be when he was a baby, but he was protected by a secret keeper himself until Voldemort killed his parents and supposedly also protected at the Dursleys, so the only times somebody could have gotten at him would be before the Potters went into hiding (at that time, why choose that particular baby? Few people knew he was special then.) or right after Voldemort's attack (very little time to act in, since Hagrid would probably have noticed somebody performing a spell/ritual on the baby while he was in his care).**

You have to have an account to read fics? That's a bit...strange.

Dear, you lost even me with that question. And it really isn't that complicated, truth be told, but it is ingeniously set up. So, lets take it one step at a time.

Yes, Harry is the wizard's secret-keeper. The fact he was able to use an unknowing baby for that role simply attests to his power. Which is largely in part why Voldemort is cautioning everyone to be concerned about the man. He is powerful. And that was fifteen years ago.

Harry, not knowing he is the secret-keeper, can't tell anybody, since how many of us remember things from the time we were a baby. It's not that Harry doesn't know. It's that he doesn't remember. Big difference. The man who thought this out thought it out very carefully. He knew you couldn't have a secret-keeper who didn't know they were one. But he did realize you could have a secret-keeper who simply doesn't remember being one.

The wizard's people find him because he wants them to. My understanding of a secret-keeper was that the spell only kept one person from finding you, and anyone associated with that person who might reveal your location to them. The spell in itself was sort of vague to me, but that's how I interpreted it.

Yes, the spell was placed on Harry when he was a baby. And it was done before they went into hiding.

Why choose Harry? Although few people knew he was special and he hadn't gained notoriety yet by defeating Voldemort, Harry was still Gryffindor's heir. That made him potentially a very powerful wizard. The wizard in the North was aware of this fact.

In the last part, you are seriously underestimating this wizard's abilities. Voldemort has good reason to fear him. The only thing capable of beating this wizard will be to outsmart him.

**Part Two**

**Didn't you say something about making Voldemort likeable? Well, I liked him marginally better last chapter, I'm afraid. ... Don't worry about one single person calling Katlin a Mary Sue. There are people who seem to define Mary Sue as any original female character. (I once had a reviewer protest against me turning a story into slash, because I let Draco say he was going to talk to his girlfriend. That had me puzzled for a while ...)**

Yes, Dear. We are embarking on the long journey of making Voldemort a likable character. So many people have tried it with Draco, after all.

That has me currently puzzled.

hug-me:

Thank you, Dear. Sirius does appear from time to time, but I did warn early on he is not in this story much.

Sorry for the long period between updates.

Skahducky:

**Wow, I haven't been able to read this for a long time. I was so eager to see what happened next that I didn't even go back after Chapter 10 to re-read the beginning like you said I should. I'll go back to do that eventually, though.**

That was a crazy plot twist, though. Voldemort arranged things so Sirius would attack him so that he could take Sirius' body? When did he start making this plan and when did he start carrying it out? I really need to go back to Family Life and re-read that whole scene again. I really like how you arrange things so that something that didn't seem too important when first read turns out to have a major effect on the entire story. Anyway, the last few chapters were all great. Please update soon!

Good heavens! It's been so long since I've done reviews, I almost forgot how to spell your name!

You'll get a bit more out of it re-reading the first three chapters, Dear. But it's mostly for entertainments sake. Just giving you a different perspective of things now that you know what was actually going on.

Voldemort is no fool, and he orchestrated a great deal of the events in the last chapters of the previous story. Good old Voldy!

My stories are never simple. That's good and bad. But I do try to warn readers that I never put in anything I don't mean to. Even if something looks utterly out of place, if it's still canon, chances are darned good I meant for it to be there.

Glad you like it so far, Dear, and sorry for the delay.

All reviews are as of 12/11/2005.

And remember:

Only in America do Drive-up tellers have instructions in Braille.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Not much to say, folks, except,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**Chapter Twelve: Five Minutes Alone**

A good morning walk. That was what she needed.

At least that was what Arabella had told herself. A walk in the crisp, sold solitude of the morning. That would help her think.

But she gave a startled paused as she came around the corner of the castle, staring up at the sky. A flock of vultures had suddenly taken to the air at her approach and were now flying off, their wings beating the air noisily.

"Retched creatures." She muttered as she watched them soar away.

"Most felt I should have one as a pet." A voice spoke up behind her.

Arabella turned about abruptly, finding Voldemort leaning against the castle wall.

"What?" Still shaken slightly by the abrupt encounter with the birds as she came around the side of the castle, it was the most intelligent thing she could think to say at the moment.

"Most feel I should have a vulture as a pet." Voldemort repeated. "Even when I was in school, most of the other students felt I should have had one of those," he added, pointing to the retreating birds, "instead of an owl."

Arabella frowned. "That's a horrible thing for them to have said."

Voldemort shrugged, walking slowly towards her. "I can almost identify with them."

Arabella met his stare as he stepped up to her, willing herself not to step back. "Really?"

"Both are necessary evils, to coin a phrase." He replied. "Vultures serve a purpose, just as I do, though most people don't want to see it."

"Vultures aren't evil." Arabella answered before she could stop herself.

Voldemort's gaze fell from her's. "No." He said. "They aren't." He lifted his head again, the cold blue eyes again meeting her's. "Well, in the eyes of most people I suppose we really aren't so similar then." He gave her a small smile. "Do enjoy your walk, Arabella."

Arabella watched as he turned and started back towards the castle. Everything Orion had told them the night before coming back to her as she observed the man walking away from her.

Who was he now? If she called out to Sirius, would he turn and answer her? Or would Voldemort turn back to her, laughing at her simple attempt to reach past the spell to the man she loved? Or would she look into the face of someone she didn't even know, and thereby have no way of guessing their response?

Had Voldemort, as Orion suggested last night, truly been caught in a trap of his own making? In order to accomplish his goals, he needed their help. He needed Harry. It was unlikely when he embarked on this mission of his to find this other wizard that he expected things to turn out as they had. Voldemort would have balked at the terms that he had to rely on the whims of others, let alone a fifteen year old boy, to accomplish his well laid out plans.

Arabella almost smiled at the thought. The predicament he found himself in must be grating on his nerves beyond belief.

But as she watched him past each slow step he took, there was something odd about his demeanor. Something almost...sad. And no matter how hard she tried to fight it, she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. For as things stood at the moment, he was, more or less, stuck at the castle. Almost a prisoner there until the others decided what to do. She had only thought of the situation as having the enemy in their camp. She never saw it from his point of view before. Of having to literally be living in the enemies camp.

'But he had brought it on himself', she told herself sternly.

'But he had come offering information they needed', the other little voice in her mind countered.

'He was holding Sirius hostage'.

'He had kept to his promise not to hurt him.

'He was blackmailing them'.

'He was trying to help the only way he knew how'.

'Everyone deserves a chance', a third little voice broke in over the arguing of the other two.

"I was going to walk down to the lake." She heard herself saying before she could even stop the words. "You can come along if you'd like."

His reaction was not at all one of the ones she had expected. The man who turned back to face her did so with a genuine smile. One that didn't fade in the least as he walked back over to her.

"That's very kind of you." he replied in a voice that sounded very much like relief.

Not able to think of anything else to say, Arabella replied with a slight shrug and started off across the field.

Voldemort gave a small smile, then hurried after her. "So, what brings you out so early in the day?" He asked as he walked along side of her.

Arabella cautiously recalled Orion's warning in dealing with Voldemort. To help Sirius, a handshake was better than a slap. "I like early morning walks." She replied, forcing a small smile to her lips. "It helps clear the mind."

The man seemed to respond to the smile as his overall rigidness seemed to ease slightly. "And does your mind really need that much clearing?"

"A great deal, in fact."

They walked on in silence for a few seconds.

"Anything I can help with?" Voldemort finally spoke up.

Arabella continued walking for a few more moments before answering him.

"How dangerous is this wizard? Really?" She suddenly asked.

Voldemort paused at the question, staring ahead of him as he thought over the answer. "Very." Finally came the reply.

"How do you know?"

"Aside from the fact he has killed nearly every spy I've sent to gather information on him?"

"Aside from that."

Voldemort stopped abruptly, causing Arabella to stop as well as she turned to him. "I have been tracking this wizard for some time now. Watching, listening, learning what I could of him. He started a few years ago as little more than a whisper among a few malcontents. Now he is a leader that they don't fear voicing their support to. That is what worries me more than anything."

"Why?"

"His followers are that confident of his power to protect them. Those who leave my ranks rarely show their faces for years afterwards...fearing retribution for being...disloyal."

"With good cause I'm willing to bet."

"Disloyalty is not a characteristic I chose to reward, Arabella." Voldemort replied in a tone that hinted slightly at the man beneath it. "And 'yes', they pay very dearly for it. But I have learned of several of those who have left my followers, only to join with this wizard's ranks, and are quite open about it. Even trying to sway others to do the same." Voldemort paused for a moment, folding his arms across his chest. "I am touted as being the most feared wizard of the century. My followers knew better than to cross me. Now I have those, who should be hiding under rocks for fear of what I will do if I ever find them, practically knocking on my door, trying to spread their diseased beliefs to their one-time fellow Deatheaters. They would not dare be so bold if they didn't feel confident in the power backing them."

"So you feel this wizard is more powerful than you?" Arabella asked, looking for any information he hadn't felt the desire to impart to them.

A dark look passed over the man's face. "I'm saying that his followers feel that he is. And that's far more dangerous."

"You're actually starting to worry me."

"Then my time here hasn't been completely wasted."

"You're sole goal was to frighten us?"

"My goal was to wake you up to reality. You and all of Dumbledore's mindless sheep."

"You really fear the man, don't you?" Arabella ask.

"I don't fear him." Voldemort corrected her with no attempt to hide his disdain for the subject matter. "I despise him."

"Why?"

"Because he looks at the world far too innocently. And he would bring everyone one of you down with him because he refuses to see the reality of things. You all follow him around like he is your panacea for all the problems in your lives. And he will drag you all down with him when the end comes, merrily whistling some little tune while he continually tells you everything is just fine."

Arabella met the man's stare straight on. "I think you underestimate the man."

"And I think you overestimate him. How sad that one of us, ultimately, has to be wrong."

**Q&A**

**FEVER**

Kcmprincess:

I am glad you enjoyed the story, Dear. I am still writing, and have several stories up on the site. This story, however, is finished.

Harryisagod:

I'm glad you liked it. You can visit my author's page for a listing of my other stories.

Why do you wanna know?:

Sorry, Dear, Fever is a completed story. I will not be adding any more to it.

**FAMILY RELATIONS**

tolazytosignin:

I just saw your review today. I hope you realized this story is continuing under the same title with a slight variation. If you go to my Author's Page, you can pick up the added chapters since September.

MasterLupin:

**It just ocured to me that Orion has children, or rather it just poped up to the foreground of my mind( if you understand my meaning, it's hard to describe). Yet it seems that he never spends or lately hasn't spent any time with them. just an observation. Soory to hear that nothing worked out the way it should have.**

Yes, Orion does have children. Five, to be exact. Where they are in this story will be discussed (very briefly). The main reason they are not seen or heard of in this story is because it is simply too long as it is. Adding additional characters would simply add chapters, and I don't need any more. Orion's children and how they came to be are part of a story called In The Family Way, which will be posted after Family Relations.

Steel-Pheonix:

I am glad you are enjoying the story.

hug-me:

Thank you, Dear. I am glad you liked the chapter. Than hand, is, unfortunately, getting worse. We'll see how things go.

skahducky:

**It just dawned on me how long you've been planning this whole wizard in the north thing. Orion knew about him in Enemies, right? That was before even Voldemort's first downfall. **

You said Voldemort is no fool, and I agree with that, so doesn't it seem possible that Voldemort already knows all the stuff Orion said and has figured out a way to counteract that? Being nice to Voldemort is pretty hard, but I suppose it'll be easier since he still looks like Sirius. It was wonderful to see another update from you! This is another great chapter. Please update soon!

My! Someone HAS been paying attention in class!

Yes, indeed. The wizard in the north has been on the books since I wrote Family Life. The character has evolved since then, but is still pretty much the way I envisioned them to be. And yes, Orion knew about him in Enemies. And that was before Voldemort's first downfall.

Not entirely. Remember, Voldemort manipulated the original spell, so, as an untested spell, it has incredible potential to go wrong in ways no one yet knows.

But consider this. What if Voldemort knows what Orion knows and has already figured out, not how to counter it, but how to make it work for him? As I said, Voldemort is no fool, and he has been planning this for a very, very, very long time.

Yes, being nice to Voldemort can not be a lot of fun. However, as that he looks and sounds like Sirius, it takes the edge off a bit.

All reviews are as of 12/18/2005.

And remember;

Why do you never see a newspaper story saying "Psychic Wins Lottery"?


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Well, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, or whatever is appropriate for you this season. My present to you, dear readers, is this chapter. Not only is it one of the most involved, longest, and most fun to write, it is also packed full of little bits of information.

Before we get started on this chapter though, allow me to answer a question straight off that I am sure to get ask regarding what takes place below.

The question is "Is Voldemort lying?"

My answer is, "I'm not going to tell you." Why? Because what goes on here is a large part of the story, folks. Telling you if he is lying or not would pretty much be telling you the whole story in one answer. And it's not the first time in this story you're going to run into something like this. So I'm afraid you'll have to figure that answer out for yourself.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: DIAGON ALLEY**

"Where are you headed off to?"

Arabella turned to the man just entering the castle foyer as she picked her carrying bag off a nearby table after fastening her cloak, ushering her godson in front of her. The day had already not been going well with little annoyances that seemed to her to crop up at every turn. It had started with their running late, then not being able to find her purse, and now running into Voldemort just as they were about to make a clean get away without any further interruptions. Regardless of Orion's suggestion of how to deal with the man, Arabella doubted that Sirius himself would have gotten a cordial greeting out of her at this point. All she wanted was to get on with their shopping trip.

"I wasn't aware I had to account for my movements to you." She replied in a cool voice.

"You don't." Voldemort replied. "The question was out of concern, not simply 'my being nosey', as you would likely put it."

Arabella gave a small huff under her breath. "Concern of what?"

Voldemort walked up to her. "There have been reports of the Deatheaters being a bit more active than is normal for them."

"And how would you know that? They don't seem to feel the need to keep you appraised of their activities anymore."

Orion had indeed confirmed for Dumbledore the other day that to his department's knowledge, for whatever reasons, Voldemort had no contact with his Deatheaters, or they with him. And neither seemed particularly eager at the moment to renew the acquaintance.

Voldemort gave something of a condescending smile. "No. But Dumbledore sees the benefit in keeping me appraised of what he hears since I can interpret what the Deatheaters do likely better than even he can."

Arabella faced him with her arms crossed over her chest. "And what great wisdom do you discern out of a few Deatheaters roaming the streets? They have nothing better to do?"

"Deatheaters don't 'roam the streets'. If they're out, they're out with a purpose. That is what concerns me."

"Why?"

"They currently have no leader. Therefore they should have no 'purpose'. If they are functioning as a group again, then they might have appointed a new leader."

Arabella gave him a patronizing smile. "My, how soon they forget."

Voldemort sighed quietly. "If you're going out, you're not going alone."

"I'm not going alone." Arabella countered, nodding to where her godson stood waiting for her. "Harry is going with me."

"The boy is hardly adequate protection against the Deatheaters. You need someone more experienced."

"Well, there is no one else." Arabella stated in exasperation. "Orion is off with Dumbledore at the Ministry. Lupin left early this morning to attend to some business in London. That leaves Harry and me."

"And me." Voldemort pointed out. "If you're determined to go on this excursion, I'll go with you."

Arabella's lack of enthusiasm showed clearly in her expression. Orion said they were to be nice to him. He'd said nothing about having to allow him to share every minute of their day. "I'd sooner shop Nocturn Alley with a vampire."

"Fine. If we find one there he can keep you company while I pick up a few things."

Arabella sighed to herself. He had managed to back her into a corner with no way out. If she pressed the issue, she risk alienating him. But his insistence at going with them she felt was a bit much to ask.

Arabella stared back at him, resigning herself to her fate. "Fine." she stated. "Just...behave yourself."

"Behave myself?" Voldemort asked in indignation. "I'm not a six year old on a school outing."

But Arabella ignored him as she headed out the door with Harry in front of her, quickly explaining to him that they were going to have company on their trip and they would do well just to make the best of it.

A large part of the trip was spent in silence as the trio walked along the road headed for Hogsmeade. Arabella had wanted to start there, and then move on by Floo Network to Diagon Alley. For the most part Voldemort seemed to be determined to give a whole new meaning to the word 'vigilance' as hardly a tree they walked past he didn't give a serious scrutiny to.

As the journey progressed, Harry managed to get several yards ahead of the two adults. But as that he was always in sight, Arabella let the matter go. She understood he was uncomfortable around Voldemort, and putting a little space between them seemed to help.

"Shouldn't you be reigning that boy in a little?" Voldemort observed after a short while.

"Shouldn't you be nosing in the bushes?" Arabella replied.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning we haven't past so much as a bush or a rock you didn't look over like you expected a pack of...something to jump out from behind and attack us all."

"If you recall," Voldemort reminded her, "that is what I am here for. To make sure you and the boy are kept safe while you...shop."

A small smile crept across Arabella's face, which Voldemort just caught before she covered it with her usual composed expression.

"Something amusing?" He asked.

Arabella shifted her gaze over to him for a moment, then back to where her godson was just ahead of them. "You, if you must know." She replied.

"Me?"

"Yes." she replied, a smile creeping back over her lips as the thought came back to mind. "This must be quite an adjustment for you. Going from doing everything in your power to kill my godson, to having to act as his protector if, in the end, you're going to get what you want.."

"I take objection to that statement." Voldemort replied as he kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead of them, scanning it for anything unusual.

"All right." She amended. "Almost everything in your power."

"I was referring to the 'kill' part of that statement."

Arabella nearly staggered in her steps at the comment. "Surely you're not going to try and deny you've tried to kill him?"

"Not against that attitude I'm not. Hardly any point, is there?"

"You attacked him in his first year!" Arabella protested.

"I was trying to reason with him."

"And in his second year you tried again, as well as nearly killing a harmless, young girl. Try denying that."

Voldemort huffed at the accusation. "You see." He stated sharply. "That is a perfect example of what happens when the Deatheaters do something of their own accord. I get blamed for it."

"It was your diary." Arabella stated firmly.

"That diary was a trap I set." Voldemort agreed. "I don't deny that. But I did that ages ago. How could I have known, or planned, whose hands that abysmal little book would fall into? But someone in the present could do so very easily. Such as Lucius Malfoy did. He makes some idiot move on his own, and I get blamed for it."

"So you have, in fact, not been systematically attacking my godson?" Arabella ask skeptically.

"Did I attack the boy in his third year?" Voldemort snapped back.

"You made up for it in his forth."

Voldemort turned his attention back to the road ahead of them as he sighed quietly. "Could you at least try, for just one moment, to see this from my point of view?"

Arabella raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, this should be interesting." She commented.

Voldemort sighed again as he tried to keep the irritation out of his voice. "The Deatheaters, as I just pointed out, were getting more aggressive on their own. They were forming groups and carrying out attacks on their own. And they didn't have much to worry about, because every time they did something, I took the blame for it. 'The Deatheaters are out terrorizing the muggles? Let's blame Voldemort. It's likely him anyway'."

"So now you're whining because you're convenient?"

"I'm not whining! Just look at the incident at the World Cup. Why would I have sanctioned that idiocy? It served no purpose at all. At the very least, those responsible would have been severely punished."

Arabella gave him another skeptical look. "Then why didn't you?"

"I couldn't. And so do we come now to the events of Potter's fourth year. The Deatheaters were getting out of hand. Even I saw that. The ministry couldn't contain or control them. Only one person could. But how was I supposedly going to control them, reign them back in, when I didn't even have a body?"

"So you're explanation for what happened in the graveyard..." Arabella started.

"I needed a body." Voldemort finished for her. "A physical body of my own to show the Deatheaters I was back, and to impress on them I was still their leader and could still deal with those who challenged my leadership. For that, unfortunately, I needed Potter. He was the only one by the parameters of the spell I could use to give myself a new body. And I knew this wouldn't exactly strengthen any grounds for my case with the boy, but I decided to deal with that later. My current problem was getting the Deatheaters back under some sort of control."

"And killing Cedric Diggory was just what? Something to do?"

"Pettigrew killed the boy, not me."

"You ordered it."

"As told by who?"

Arabella remained silent, not sure if Voldemort knew or not and not wanting to incriminate her godson if he didn't.

"Potter then." Voldemort reasoned. "Interesting, that in everything that was going on at the moment, having just been through a very difficult, demanding tournament, a port key transport, and trying to sort out all those events in the matter of a few minutes, the one thing the boy can pull out of his memory is that out of two people standing before him, I was the one who ordered the Diggory boy killed."

Arabella again remained silent. But this time not only not wanting to point Voldemort to her godson, but due to amazement of the fact that the man could make things sound so logical.

It had to be a gift.

"All right," she said finally, "then explain all this." she added, waving her hand in the air around him. "You think this is impressing Harry with any of your sincere good wishes to just 'talk' to him? You've kidnapped Sirius' body and you're holding him ransom. Those are hardly the acts of an innocent man, Voldemort."

Voldemort turned back to watching the road ahead of them, occasionally looking around the area around them as well. "What would you have me do, Arabella?" He ask finally. "The body I created for myself was failing. I needed a new one. Something more stable. And I needed it fast. Black fit all the criteria of the spell. And it isn't as though I can solve everyone's problems by going to another body. Believe me, I'm as much a prisoner right now as he is."

"What about your 'oh-so-loyal' Deatheaters? Surely one of them would consider it an honor to give up their body to you."

"They wouldn't even know me!" Voldemort quickly protested. "I would likely be killed on sight. Is that what you want to have happen to your loving fiancee?"

"They don't know you now." Arabella replied. "What about before, when you were still in your body? Why didn't you go to one of them then and allow them this wonderful honor?"

"I told you. I needed a body and I needed one fast. But there were...parameters that needed to be met. I didn't have unlimited time. I needed to act quickly. And the only person I could find that fit the criteria I needed was Black."

Arabella sighed quietly to herself instead of answering him, continuing on down the road.

"You don't believe me." Voldemort stated, following behind her.

"What I do or don't believe is irrelevant, Voldemort." she replied.

"Not to me."

Arabella stopped and turned to him, trying to hide the annoyance in her stare. "Why?"

"Because I could use someone on my side, Arabella. Someone in my corner for a change. It would help a great deal to know that someone was there to back me up even just every so often."

"Why me?"

"Well, for one, people around here seem to listen to you, whether you know it or not. And aside from that, I think it would help keep your loving fiancee a bit more in line."

Arabella's eyes widened. "Sirius?"

"He seems to fight me a good deal less every step of the way if your around."

"Then why not just let him go free? Then he wouldn't be fighting you at all." Arabella replied with a small, smug smile.

"I told you, I can't do that."

"Can't..." she challenged, "...or won't?"

"Can't." He replied flatly. "The spell doesn't allow it."

Arabella went back to walking, saying nothing more.

"Even if you refuse to back me up," Voldemort continued as he hurried to catch up to her, "it would help if I knew at least what you were thinking."

"You don't want to know." Arabella replied.

"Try me."

Arabella stopped again, turning to the man with a snap. "All right," she stated, "you want to know what I think? I think you've had this planned from the start. I think every single thing that has happened, you've orchestrated. Carefully, methodically orchestrated to meet your own ends."

"Really?" Voldemort smiled back at her. "Then let me ask you something. If I was planning all along to take over Black's body, why would I have allowed the traitor Snape to kill him?"

"But you didn't."

"I didn't know. Black was a reward to Snape for his loyalty. Before I didn't know he had none. Snape was given the right to kill him, something I knew he would have relished...or should have. But Snape managed to fool everyone present into thinking he had killed Black. Even me. I didn't find out until days later that Black was still alive. So how could I have been planning this 'from the start', as you say, if I thought my ultimate target was dead?"

Arabella stood silently before him without answering.

"Well?"

Arabella turned sharply on her heel and walked on.

Voldemort again hurried after her. "Ah! I see. I have to answer your questions, but you don't have to answer mine, is that it?"

"That's it." Arabella replied shortly.

"Hardly fair."

"Life isn't, I'm told." came the equally short answer. But abruptly Arabella stopped again, turning to him. "But I will tell you one thing I don't believe, Voldemort."

"And that is?"

"I don't believe that finding this other wizard is your ultimate goal. I know you. That's all just too simple for you. You have something grander in mind here."

"For instance?"

Arabella studied the man for a moment. "I don't know yet." she finally replied softly.

Voldemort stared back at her for a moment. But suddenly a small smile crept across his face. "You have quite an imagination, Ms. Figg." he replied.

Arabella held his gaze with her own. "Prove me wrong."

Voldemort met her stare for a few moments, then slowly shook his head as he continued on past her. "Truly a vivid imagination." he commented.

Arabella mimicked his actions as she shook her own head and followed after him.

Once they reached Diagon Alley later in the day, Arabella found herself far more self-conscious about her situation than she expected to be. Hogsmeade was a small, friendly town where she knew many of the vendors she visited. But Diagon Alley was packed with people running here and there and darting into and out of shops. The overall pace was more hectic and set her nerves a bit more on edge. She couldn't help but keep looking over her shoulder every few minutes to see if anyone was looking at them as she equally kept a watchful eye on Harry. She half expected at any moment someone to scream Voldemort's name and the street erupt into chaos.

"What is it you keep looking for?" An irritated voice came from her right side.

Arabella jumped slightly at the sound. "Nothing." She lied as she checked a side alley as they walked past.

"Then stop acting like you expect someone to leap out of every corner and try to grab you."

"Well, what if someone recognizes you?" Arabella stated abruptly, giving voice to her thoughts. "What exactly are you intending to do?"

Voldemort turned a questioning stare to her as he raised one eyebrow at the statement, then quickly furrowed them in irritation. "Who in Magic's name would recognize me? I'm in Black's body, and he has an unrecognizable charm on him. So kindly turn your mind to your shopping and leave the vigilance to me. It is what I came for after all."

Arabella sighed to herself and directed Harry off to a shop on their right. Voldemort followed closely behind them, but stayed outside at the door while Arabella and Harry went inside.

While he waited, the dark wizard carefully observed people passing him on the street. He couldn't help but feel a bit put off that witches and wizards walked past him like he wasn't even there. He couldn't remember the last time he was so utterly invisible in a crowd of people. But the situation had it's positive side as well. Again, because he was so utterly invisible in the crowds, it allowed him for the first time in a long time to remember what it felt like to simply be around people. Others of his own kind, without having them run in fear and panic. Several people actually nodded to him as they pasted and bid him a friendly 'hello' while two attractive young witches cast him appraising looks, both smiling back at him over their shoulders as they past.

Nearly completely lost in the novelty of his situation, Voldemort almost missed a small, tightly packed group of people that cut between two shoppers and disappeared down a side alleyway. But he quickly became alerted to several others who were standing at the front of the alleyway, who disappeared as several shoppers passed between them. Voldemort tried to keep tabs on where the second group had gone, but Arabella chose just that moment to come out of the shop with Harry in front of her, distracting him for a few seconds and causing him to completely lose sight of the people moving through the crowd.

As soon as Arabella was out of the shop Voldemort grabbed her by the elbow and steered her away from the direction of the alleyway. But Arabella quickly shook off the hold on her arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" She stated firmly.

"We're leaving." Was all the explanation he offered.

"Leaving? Why?"

"Call it a feeling." Voldemort answered, turning back over his shoulder. One of the people he had been watching was pushing through the crowd of shoppers. His path unmistakably following after them. "Do you have your wand?" He quickly asked.

Arabella turned to follow his stare. "Yes. It's in my bag. Why?"

"What about the boy?"

Harry quickly produced his own wand. "What's wrong?" He asked quickly, looking about as well.

Voldemort abruptly cut their procession short with a sharp turn into a side shop.

"In here."

Arabella quickly ushered Harry in ahead of her with Voldemort following after them.

"What is going on?" She asked again as Voldemort unceremoniously directed them to the back of the small shop.

"We're being followed." He stated plainly. "Hopefully we can lose them and apparate back to the school."

"Why not just apparate back and who cares if we lose them or not?" Harry asked quickly, forgetting for the moment how he was going to apparate anywhere, for that matter.

"Because if they see us they'll just follow." Voldemort answered. "Leaving them guessing where we went will buy us the time we need to get safely inside the castle gates and alert Dumbledore to the possible danger that he's about to have a group of Deatheaters for tea."

Without any further need of explanation, Arabella quickly guided Harry in front of her towards the back of the shop. Through all of his directing their steps, Arabella was ever conscience of the fact that Voldemort purposefully kept his body between she and Harry and whatever unseen danger he felt was pursuing them.

Once out the back door, Voldemort suddenly took the lead again, his eyes never resting for so much as a second it seemed on any one area. Based on his earlier actions Arabella reasoned the greatest danger had now shifted to in front of them. But that did not preclude an attack from the rear still, as she quickly placed Harry in front of her and took up guarding the rear.

Voldemort quickly led them back up the alleyway and again out onto the crowded street. For a few seconds he seemed to simply stand there, unsure, it seemed to Arabella, of what course of action to take next.

"We can't just stand here." She stated from behind him, keeping a watch on their rear. "They'll be following us soon enough."

"I'm not worry about whose behind us." Voldemort replied. "I more worried about whose waiting for us."

Arabella spun her attention back to the front. "What do you mean?"

Voldemort pointed to a few men standing across the street. "They left guards behind to watch the alleyway openings. They anticipated we would do exactly what we did."

"Now what?" Arabella asked.

But she did have long to wait for an answer. Almost instantly a spell cut just past her cheek. Voldemort instantly grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to cover as he directed Harry in front of them. Several more spells suddenly cut past where they had been standing, which Arabella was certain would have found their targets if Voldemort hadn't reacted as quickly as he did.

As soon as the spells started flying, people began to scramble for cover.

Firing off spells of her own, Arabella looked about desperately for her godson. A fleeing bystander had cut between them, followed by a rush of several others. Arabella had heard him call her name, but couldn't find any sight of him in the fleeing crowd.

"Harry!" She called over the frantic scream of the other people around them.

Not getting an answer, Arabella quickly moved her position until she was able to put her back to Voldemort.

"Harry's gone." She called over her shoulder to him as she deflected a spell coming from the side.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Voldemort asked as he fired off a spell that took down one of the Deatheaters attacking them.

"I can't find him. When the attack started, people ran. He must have gotten caught in the crowd."

Voldemort turned briefly to her. "Then find him." He stated sharply.

"But the Deatheaters...?" Arabella questioned.

"I'll handle the Deatheaters." Voldemort called back to her. "I know their tactics better than anyone could. Do your part, Arabella. Find Harry."

The words struck her like a well-phrased charm, calming her frayed nerves a little. Reminding her of her purpose.

So simple.

So well planned. A course of action she and Sirius had laid out between them early on when Harry had first come into their care. Their understanding had always been that should they ever get in a situation just like this, where they were under attack and Harry was separated from them, Sirius would do the fighting. She only had to do one thing.

Find Harry.

Leave the fighting to...Arabella turned abruptly to the man behind her.

No matter where they were, it seemed, in the best or worst of times, she could always find some small part of Sirius peeking out from behind those eyes. This time it was in those simple words. Find Harry.

Arabella quickly shook off the feeling of familiarity. She had a job to do. Voldemort would do his part, she had no doubt. She only had to do her's.

Find Harry.

Frantically, Arabella looked about, deflecting spells as she searched for her godson.

"Arabella!"

The sound of the cry caught her attention quicker than the sound of her own name.

Harry's voice.

Arabella followed the sound with her eyes. As the curtain of black material briefly parted, Arabella caught sight of her godson being pulled to the side by a Deatheater who had a tight hold on his arm.

"Arabella!"

Arabella instantly ran for the last place she had seen Harry. But the black curtain had closed again in front of her even as she raced after her godson. Aiming her wand, she fired off three spell s in rapid succession, taking down one of the Deatheaters and scattering the other two for the moment. Behind them Arabella caught sight of her godson once again.

Reaching out, Arabella grabbed Harry's hand as he reached for her, fighting the other's hold on him as strongly as he could. But with Arabella's added leverage, Harry managed to break the hold and quickly pushed himself towards his godmother.

Arabella didn't waste any time getting them both out of the immediate area and back to where Voldemort stood, doing an admirable job of keeping the Deatheaters busy.

As he registered their return, Voldemort looked down for a moment as he checked to make sure Arabella and Harry were both safe.

But the momentary distraction was all that was necessary to make his guard vulnerable. A sudden spell fired from across the street caught him across the temple. With a loud cry of pain, he fell to the pavement, barely managing to maintain any balance as Arabella grabbed his arm to keep him from going down completely.

"Voldemort!" Arabella cried.

"A lucky shot." He replied, already wiping a stream of blood off the side of his face that flowed from a nasty wound just above his left eye.

Arabella could see he was doing his best to cover the pain. They were simply too vulnerable where they were. To out in the open. Without thinking of more than trying to get them some sort of momentary cover, Arabella shoved Harry down the street a few yards and into the next alleyway, grabbing Voldemort by the arm and pulling him with her as she directed them down the opening, praying all the while there was an opening at the other end.

But their luck had apparently run out as they met with a solid brick wall.

Staring at the brick wall before them, Voldemort turned an uncharacteristically calm expression to her. "This is part of your plan, correct?" He asked, his tone matching his face.

Arabella had already turned to face the one opening of the alleyway. "Hardly." She stated. "But I'm not just going to stand here and be shot down."

Voldemort forced himself to stay on his feet. "You're not facing anything." He stated past the pain in his voice. "We past a doorway a few yards back up the alleyway. That is where we need to reach. Your job is to get the boy through that door. That's all you concentrate on."

Arabella looked at him skeptically. "The Deatheaters are not going to let us just walk up to that door."

"No. They will likely be doing everything in their power to stop you."

"Then we still need cover."

"You'll have it." He stated resolutely.

Arabella could hear the running footsteps coming down the alleyway. They were closer than she anticipated. She quickly turned to the man next to her. Already she could see the strain just staying upright was having on him as beads of sweat formed on his face.

"You can hardly stand." She stated. "How can you fight them alone?"

The look that she met as the man turned to face her so shocked her that Arabella pulled back slightly, feeling a cold shiver run down her back. She was suddenly sure without a doubt the man could do exactly what he said he would. The sheer determination and hatred in his expression was unlike any she had ever seen there before.

"Because," a very cold, very emotionless voice answered her, "I am Lord Voldemort. And these fools will learn the price for their arrogance to think they can attack their lord and suffer no retribution for it. This is a lesson long overdue."

Arabella pulled back slightly, keeping Harry close to her.

"You will follow behind me." He informed her in the same cold voice. "Keep the boy with you. When you reach the doorway, you get inside and you apparate back to the castle."

Arabella could think of nothing else to do but simply nod in agreement.

"Very well then." The man stated, pulling himself up to the body's full height. "It is time to teach these pathetic fools a lesson in who their master is."

Arabella watched in stunned silence as the man headed down the alleyway without so much as flinching at the fate he faced. If anything, Arabella would say he was practically running to meet it with a confident eagerness. Or even better, with anger. That was the look she had such a hard time reconciling to the face of the man she loved. It was a cold, burning anger. One that bordered on being out of control.

One that eagerly sought its victims.

And in that moment, she suddenly felt very sorry for the Deatheaters who were headed towards them.

Arabella quickly directed Harry with her as they took off in Voldemort's wake. As they hurried down the alleyway, she instinctively paused as she saw the group of black robes headed at them. But Voldemort didn't pause, or slow his pace one bit as he continued towards them.

"Arrogant fools!" He bellowed at them as he approached them. "You dare assault me! You dare interfere with my plans! You will learn the better of your actions."

The Deatheaters, wands already drawn, fired off several spells at the approaching man, who they surely thought of as mad. A lone person coming down the alleyway threatening them? He had to be deranged.

But if they thought that, Voldemort quickly changed their minds.

Arabella was stunned at how quickly the attack happened. The spells fired at the three of them were quickly, and seemingly effortlessly, countered. And before the Deatheaters could regain their advantage, Voldemort abruptly had them on the defensive. Several spells hit the closest to them, taking out several of those within the group. But Voldemort never seemed to notice or care what effect his attack was having. The assault on the Deatheaters never stopped. Within seconds they were retreating from their prey, cowering back from the advancing man.

"Speak, worms!" He shouted at them. "Explain by whose orders you make such an attack! Your master did not order it! I want to know who assumes to lead you! I want to know who you follow now! Fools! Cowards! You abandon me as though I never existed? This is your loyalty to me? This is your allegiance! Dogs show more allegiance to their masters than you have shown to me."

At first the Deatheaters looked stunned, then confused. But either way, the effect of Voldemort's attack was exactly what he set out to do. Step by step he drove them back. But no matter how effective his attack, Arabella was sure of only one thing. He couldn't keep it up for long. He was already injured, and the injury was sapping his strength and dividing his concentration. They would never make it to the door. And even if they did, what then? Harry couldn't apparate, she doubted if Voldemort could, and she wasn't sure she could handle them both even with a port key.

Reaching the door seemed to Arabella to take ages. But finally it came into sight and with a few more steps she managed to grab the handle and force it open, shoving Harry inside ahead of her. Nearly falling to the floor, she gathered Harry close to her, turning as she heard the heavy door slam shut after them. Turning she saw Voldemort standing with his back to it, breathing as though drawing air into his lungs was a concentrated effort.

"Now what?" she asked quickly.

The door behind him shook as a spell hit it. Voldemort all but stumbled forward and nearly collapsed on the ground next to them. "We have to apparate back to the castle. The spell I placed on the door won't hold them back forever. Likely just enough for us to hopefully make it safely within the castle gates."

Harry quickly glanced up at his godmother, a look Voldemort didn't miss.

"What?" he asked.

Arabella answered for Harry as she turned back to the man next to her. "Harry can't apparate. He hasn't learned how yet."

The look on Voldemort's face was somewhere between surprise and exasperation. But a second hit to the door got him to his feet as he quickly positioned himself between them. Grabbing Arabella's arm, he traced a line with his wand on the area from her wrist to her elbow. In the wake of his wand's tip, a dark line appeared on her arm which grow in length and began to coil about itself as she watched.

Grabbing Harry's wrist, Voldemort placed his wand tip to the boy's skin, but stopped abruptly as he stared at the arm.

"Now that is interesting." he muttered, before dropping his hold.

Another spell shook the door as Voldemort turned to it, but quickly brought his concentration back to what he was doing. Speaking a quick spell, a dark cloud rose around them, enveloping them completely and blocking out any sight of the room they sat in.

When the cloud dissipated, Arabella was shocked to find all three of them now seated on a plush red rug in a room that looked very much like one of the guest rooms at the castle.

"Where are we?" she ask, looking about.

"My quarters, at the castle." came the rasped reply next to her.

Arabella turned to the man next to her, who looked for all the world like he was going to pass out at any minute. "How did we get here?"

Voldemort gave a shaky laugh. "I summoned us here."

Any further questions were cut short but a soft cry of pain from her other side.

"Harry?" Turning to him, Arabella quickly pulled his hand back from were he was rubbing his arm. A short but nasty cut ran up his arm from just above the wrist. "Where did you get this?" she ask.

"I'm not sure." Harry replied as Arabella examined the wound more closely. "When I got separated from you in Diagon Alley, someone knocked me down. I must have cut it then."

"It's not very deep." Arabella noted with a sigh of relief. "But it will have to be cleaned. Stay here."

Within a few moments Arabella was back with a small bottle and a bit of cloth. Voldemort had already dragged himself into one of the high-backed chairs while Harry was standing looking about the room.

"All right," she said gently, leading Harry to the nearby sofa and examining the cut again, "let's have a look at that."

Harry winced as she wiped something the smelled suspiciously like alcohol over the fresh cut, causing her to stop abruptly.

"I'm sorry, Harry." She said softly, gently brushing his hair back. "I'll be done in a minute. All right?"

Harry nodded slightly as Arabella went back to cleaning the cut as Voldemort huffed his disapproval in the background.

"Honestly, woman!" He rasp in disgust. "Stop coddling the boy! How do you expect to him to grow up to ever be able to do anything for himself with you coddling him all the time?"

Arabella turned sharply to the man. "He is my godson. And I will 'coddle' him all I want to, thank you."

"It's really not so bad." Harry replied with a small, embarrassed smile. "And she's really pretty good at it."

Arabella gave him a soft kiss on the head as she got up. "That's very sweet, Dear." She said as Voldemort made some noise in the background that sound very much like someone hacking.

"Well, like it or not, it looks like I'm going to be forced to 'coddle' you as well." Arabella stated, getting up and moving over to where Voldemort sat. The man visibly pulled away from her as though she were approaching him with a drawn wand.

"What do you mean?"

Arabella pulled another piece of cloth out of her robes. "I mean you have a cut as well. Didn't you notice?"

Voldemort reached up and pulled the cloth down as Arabella touched it to the side of his head. Sure enough the cloth came away covered in a fair amount of blood. Voldemort sat staring at it as though transfixed when Arabella reached down and gently took it from him, pressing it back to the side of his head again.

"It's not doing you any good holding it in your hand." She chided softly. "Keep it pressed to the cut."

Voldemort snatched the cloth away from her and held it over the cut himself.

"I can see to myself." He stated sharply.

Arabella shrugged and turned her attention back to Harry. "Suit yourself." She replied without a backward glance at him.

Returning to her seat beside Harry, Arabella set about finishing taking care of his injury. First she made sure it wasn't infected, then checked it for any spells, charms, or poisons that might have been inflicted on her godson by way of the injury just in case it hadn't happened completely by accident, before performing a quick healing spell to close the wound. Soon all that remained was a faint red line where the cut had been.

For his part, Voldemort sat silently in his own chair, watching Arabella as she worked on Harry's injury. His eyes never once left her as he studied her gently caring for her godson. Throughout the whole procedure, he also never once bothered with his own injury. Instead he simply sat with the cloth still pressed to the side of his head.

Once she had finished with Harry, Arabella turned around, noticing Voldemort's lack of attention in dealing with his own injury, as well as the strange stare he had fixed on her. But he quickly dropped his eyes when he saw her looking at him, a customary scowl coming back to his face.

With a small, cautious smile, Arabella walked over to where he sat and, gently pulling his hand back, removed the cloth.

"Here," she said in a kinder tone than she had used with him previously, "let me see that."

Arabella had expected a good deal of protest and even a few nasty comments. But to her surprise, Voldemort said nothing. Instead he sat perfectly still with his eyes closed as she cleaned the cut, checked it, and finally healed it, much as she had done Harry's.

"All right?" She asked when she had finished.

Voldemort opened his eyes and cautiously brushed the tips of his fingers over where the cut had been. Pulling his hand back down he stared at it as thought he had expected to still see blood.

"Yes." He replied in an oddly quiet tone. "Yes. It's fine. Thank you."

Arabella had already started back towards where Harry sat. But she turned abruptly back to the man in the chair as though he had just struck her across the back.

Now there was a phrase she would have bet her last knut the man didn't know.

Arabella paused for just a moment. "You're welcome." She responded finally.

**Q&A**

**THE BONDS THAT TIE**

SiriusLuver:

I'm very glad you liked it, Dear. Thank you.

**FAMILY REATIONS**

Spangled Banner:

**Good story, but there are a lot of typos, even in the beginning, that really should be fixed.  
I'm assuming it's "cold" solitude, not sold. And "Retched morning" should be "wretched morning." Retch means to throw up.**

Go read the Author's Page, Dear. I make no apologies for my poor spelling. I simply look at it like this. Checking for spelling errors is what they actually pay someone (Editors) to do at the publishing companies. I am simply assuring someone of job security.

CrimsonReality:

Thank you, Dear.

Skahducky:

**I really liked how you handled Arabella's conversation with Voldemort. He was nice enough, but his true personality showed through a few times. You really did a good job mixing the two personalities. I was wondering, though, Orion said that the nicer they are to Voldemort, the more Sirius' personality will come out. Arabella was pretty nice throughout the conversation, so I was surprised that Voldemort's hatred of Dumbledore showed through at the end. Maybe it'll take more than just one nice conversation for Sirius to be able to come back in control?  
The wizard in the north is sounding really scary right about now. Voldemort's conclusions about him seem pretty much right.  
It occured to me how strange it is to see phrases such as, "Voldemort gave a small smile, then hurried after her." I'm pretty sure this is the first story where Voldemort has done anything as innocent as hurry after someone or walk with them on the other person's invitation. It seems very surreal. Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

Well, thank you, Dear. I am glad you liked the how the chapter worked. Pulling off Voldemort is no easy task here. And yes, every now and then his personality and his only, in all its twisted glory, shows through. Sirius' personality shows through mostly as the steel rod in the nuclear reactor of Voldemrot's volatile personality traits. He is the sole reason Voldemort is simply so...likeable right now.

Voldemort's hatred of Dumbledore is being tempered down, Dear. He's sitting in the same room with the man, not killing him. For Voldemort, where Dumbledore is concerned, that IS tempered down.

And please understand, it takes more than just being nice to Voldemort to help Sirius. In fact, all they are doing by not irritating the man is helping Sirius survive. Sirius can only manifest himself fully if Voldemort allows it, as shown in the earlier chapter. Past that, as you will see in later chapters, Sirius can do little but sabotage Voldemort from within, so to speak.

Voldemort is only half right about how dangerous the wizard in the north is. This is a very powerful force that, really, only one person is totally capable of dealing with.

You think it's strange to see it? Try WRITING it!

Dear, we haven't even reached surreal yet where this story is headed.

Glad you are enjoying it.

MasterLupin:

**Well now we see how people are starting to deal with the new personality that could be emerging, but how will Harry deal with it. For him it must be agonizing that the man who would be his father is no longer the man he knew, almost ineffect saying that he has lost his father agian but the body is not dead mearly being used. I would think that that would be very hard on Harry, having lost the fathere figure he knew but yet seeing him every day.**

It's no picnic to be sure. But Harry hasn't really lost Sirius. He understands that underneath the part that is Voldemort, is his godfather. And as long as he doesn't do anything to upset Voldemort, Sirius stays safe. But Harry isn't about to be bullied into doing anything either. He has every intention of doing just what Sirius told him to do. Refuse to help Voldemort. But Voldemort has planned for that, as you'll see in later chapters. Where force doesn't work, coercion is a nice substitute.

SiriusLuver:

**LUVIN THE STORY! you are so much better than JKR...sirius lives, but is a target! it so works! i luv sirius! i like the twist youve put on your stories so that harry doesnt just have A god parent, he has two...and they're in luv so that harry can have semi-real parents...if you know what i mean...cuz im confuzin myself...that happens a lot...just outta curiousity, why do you call everyone 'dear'? its not a bad thing, just wonderin...im random and weird, i know...anyway, what are all the stories i shoul read to have this make more sense or know more junk? ive only read this and family life. anyway, luvin the story, write more...and im gonna get clam chowder. BYE!**

I am so glad you are enjoying it, Dear. Thank you for reading.

Better than JKR? That is high praise indeed. Thank you!

I thought poor Sirius needed a love interest. He's just too dang sexy to be running around loose in my opinion. Too bad they cast Gary Oldman in that part (Sigh).

The 'Dear' thing, Dear, is just my way of talking when I type. I also do it when I talk. In effect, when I answer questions in Q&A, I do it just as though I were sitting in the room with you. So it is simply a quirk of mine, you see.

If you have read Family Life you will get most of Family Relations. Enemies and Runaway would not hurt. Enemies I can sum up for you in just a few sentences to understand this story though, should you not want to spend a few weekends reading that story, as that it is quite long. Katlin, who has already appeared in this story, is the head of Voldemort's Elite Deatheaters. Of all the Deatheaters, these people are the worst. She is also, coincidentally, married to Sirius' brother, Orion, who is a very high ranking Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries. How they got to be husband and wife is the whole story behind Enemies. Also, the wizard in the north is mentioned in greater detail in Enemies, as is Bo better explained, and you get a few extra plot points that, though never resolved in Enemies, will be here and in the next story, Family Ties.

Now, Runaway is a bit of a different matter. That story actually had ties to this chapter in what Voldemort did to Arabella and explains why he didn't place the same line on Harry's arm as well. Also, it introduces you to Hershel Beckett in all his glory and explains the tie between he and Katlin.

I hope you enjoyed your clam chowder, Dear.

All reviews are as of 12/25/2005.

And remember;

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kawanza or by whatever other name you call this very blessed time of the year.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Yes, I'm back. What can I say? 2006 was a rough start for me. A lot going on. People coming. People going. I even had one funeral to deal with already. That was of a lovely lady whose husband I know through my church. It's always sad when someone dies. It's even worse when it is unexpected.

In regards to this chapter, folks, I want you to look carefully at the title, and as you read the next two chapters, I want you to ask yourselves one question. 'What, exactly, is Voldemort regaining control of?'.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: REGAINING CONTROL (PART ONE)**

Orion was sitting peacefully in front of a fire in his rooms at the castle enjoying on of his rare, but treasured, quiet afternoons. For the past several days he had seen little of Voldemort. For once, the man seemed to be behaving himself and not causing some sort of ruckus. Although, he suspiciously thought several times, he actually was coming to prefer the man making some sort of noise somewhere. Be it beleaguering poor Dumbledore over his plans for the hundredth time, or threatening some poor house elf because his toast wasn't crisp enough, at least when the man was making noise, he knew what he was up to. Voldemort quiet usually spelled trouble.

Orion was contemplating what sort of trouble the dark lord might be up to when there was a loud knock on the door. Getting up, he grumbled slightly at being disturbed. But it was nothing compared to where his mood went when he opened the door.

"So good to find you in, Mr. Black." Voldemort stated, starting past him into the room.

But Orion quickly blocked his path, gazing down at him past an indifferent stare.

"What is it you want?"

Voldemort paused, then stepped back. "You're help, if you must know."

Orion still didn't move.

"It really is a matter best not discussed in the hallways of the castle, Mr. Black." Voldemort added. "Sounds carry in stone corridors quite well, I can assure you."

"If you were to assure me the sun would rise tomorrow, I would still have cause to question it."

Voldemort smiled again. "Very well. Then I suppose you wouldn't mind half the school knowing about your personal life?"

Orion's eyebrows came down to form nearly a straight line above his eyes. "Meaning?"

"Your relationship with one of my Deatheaters." Voldemort replied in an almost pleasant, conversational voice. "Details of which I am quite sure you don't want broadcast as an echo down these hallways."

Orion paused for a few more seconds, then stepped aside, not missing the pleased smile on Voldemort's lips as he walked past him.

Walking back into the main room, Orion found Voldemort already seated on the couch, apparently waiting impatiently for him.

"I am referring, of course, to your relationship with Katlin Griss." He started immediately.

Orion kept his expression utterly neutral as he walked about to the front of the sofa.

"Oh, there's no need to bother denying it, Mr. Black. I've been aware of it for sometime. Katlin herself admitted it to me. And I understand discretion, Mr. Black. Especially in your position. Nor can I really blame you. Katlin is a very beautiful woman. And an exchange of being able to touch that beauty for what? A few pointless secrets? I would call it a good trade myself. One even I would likely not have hesitated to make."

Inwardly Orion breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what the reason, Voldemort still believed the relationship nothing more than the exchange of sex for information. And Orion reminded silent on the matter. He wouldn't confirm or deny Voldemort's suspicions. Let the man think what he would.

"And personally," Voldemort continued after a momentary pause, "your relationship can be of great use to me right now."

"Meaning?"

"In order for us to go forward with our plans, I need to enlist the help of my people. The Deatheaters."

"Aside from getting in the way and generally botching the job, what do you need them for?"

"As in every organization, Mr. Black, there are good people, and bad ones. The bad ones usually don't last very long. Among my Deatheaters, those are usually the ones your Aurors are killing or sending to Azkaban. But as I'm sure you know, there are plenty who know how to...get the job done. Who know the rewards of pleasing their dark lord."

"Get on with it." Orion stated, keeping his voice, like his expression, neutral.

"These are the people I need the help of, Mr. Black. My Elite. And much as you are one of the driving forces of the Unspeakables, Katlin Griss is one of the driving forces within my Elite forces."

"And?"

"Unfortunately, in this body, it's unlikely any Deatheater is going to give me much more attention that isn't coming out of the end of their wand."

Orion stared down at the man. "Didn't you TELL them?" He stated in disbelief.

"No, you idio...of course I didn't tell them." Voldemort back down from allowing his anger to get the better of him. He needed Black's help right now. Irritating the man wouldn't do much good. "When I first found the spell that allowed me to acquire this body, I had no idea if it would work or not. And there was no real way to test the spell. Also, I had no way of knowing, if the spell failed; if, in that brief moment of contact, your brother might have possibly learned of my plans, or if, in the interim, I had died, and your brother knew what my plans were, he might have gone to Dumbledore, and they could easily, just between the two of them, arranged a plan that, without my presence to stop them, could have brought down the Deatheaters in a matter of days, simply with your brother pretending to be me."

"Then go and tell them. I see no reason that you need my help."

"Then your not thinking very clearly."

"Can't you just summon them? Surely they wouldn't question that."

"There is always the possibility that someone else learned to summon them. It would prove nothing to them."

"Kill a few of them." Orion offered with a helpful smile. "That should do it."

Voldemort frowned at the man before him. "Mr. Black, I could well walk into the lair and announce who I am. And likely perform a few spells that they know only I am capable of or find some other way to convince them. But even those who knew me well would question it, thinking it some elaborate trick. I've been away from the lair for some time now. No Deatheater has heard from me in weeks. And it isn't unlikely that some of them may see me as little more than an 'elaborate trick' by Dumbledore and his followers. They may reason that Dumbledore found out about my plans and sent Sirius Black to impersonate me. And since some of the things I'm going to be asking them to do will be rather...questionable to them, they may not have cause to believe me."

"Questionable?"

"If we are to succeed, Mr. Black, we can not have fighting among ourselves. I will need the loyalty of my Elites. Someone I can leave behind and trust to maintain order. During the time I am gone I do not want them...acting of their own volition and arranging attacks against Dumbledore's people."

"How considerate of you." Orion stated with blatant sarcasm.

"Consideration has nothing to do with it. We will never defeat this wizard if our own forces are killing each other off. Once he knows what we are up to, this man may very well strike out at us with his own people. We'll need soldiers in the field, Mr. Black, to meet those attacks and stop them. As well as people who can go before us to weed out obstacles this wizard may place in our path. My people are very good at these things."

"Your people are very good at laying down and dieing from my experience. Even more so if they go off to meet this man's forces head on."

"You have some better alternative?"

"Unspeakables prefer to do things with a bit more stealth."

"And if you prefer to get your people killed by doing things with 'stealth', Mr. Black, be my guest. But you may recall that a great number of my best spies never came back from missions they were sent on to uncover what they could about this wizard. And my Elite could teach your Unspeakables a thing or two about 'stealth'."

Orion sighed quietly. "What is it you want?" He asked finally.

"Your relationship with Katlin Griss assures me that she will listen to you. I want you to go with me to her and makes sure she believes me."

Orion considered the request for a moment. Weighing the pros and cons of helping Voldemort regain control of the Deatheaters. If the man was even remotely sincere in what they were doing, it would be worth it well enough just to get the Deatheaters to back off on attacks for a few weeks. And if he were part of the mission to seek out this other wizard, then he could well work from within to hinder things a bit. Allow his own people time to gather new information and strategies while the Deatheaters sat awaiting orders from their dark lord.

On the extreme plus side, Orion hadn't seen Katlin in weeks. Much as he loathed relying on Voldemort to get him a date with his wife, he would take whatever chance he got at this point.

"And if you need further enticement, Mr. Black," Voldemort went on, "consider the attack in Diagon Alley a few days ago."

"Consider what?"

"That was a perfect example of the Deatheaters without a leader and without purpose. Random attacks for no real reason other than a 'bit of fun'. Help me re-establish my control over them and I can put a stop to that. As well as stop the Deatheaters from targeting your brother with such determination. Once they believe that I am the person in control of this body, they wouldn't dare such a thing again. Otherwise, your dear little brother might not be so fortune next time. Even for me, the attack was not easy to escape."

"Sirius has an unrecognizable charm on him. He could be running naked through Diagon Alley and your Deatheaters wouldn't know it was him."

"Maybe not, but perhaps the next time I am in the same situation, the charming Ms. Figg or Mr. Potter are with me again. And I can assure you, they will recognize them."

Orion carefully studied the man before him. "All right." He said finally. "When?"

"Now."

"What?"

"We go now. The Deatheaters will be gathering tomorrow night. I want things in place by then for me to resume my place as their leader at that meeting."

"I'll need to inform the Headmaster where I'll be."

"Of course."

Fifteen minutes later, Orion was headed with Voldemort out towards the gates of Hogwarts. Inwardly he was anxious to see Katlin again. Just to stand in a room with her would be enough for him at that point. Just to see her. Between the two of them they could carry on a whole conversation without once saying a single word.

Given a few seconds in private they could do a whole lot more.

It was definitely shaping up to be a very good day.

**Q&A**

**Family Relations**

CrimsonReality:

Thank you, Dear. Glad you enjoyed it.

Skahducky:

**There was one thing I didn't quite understand in Arabella and Voldemort's conversation before they headed out. Arabella suggested that Voldemort let Sirius go free, but Voldemort said he can't because the spell won't allow it. However, he allowed Sirius free reign in a previous chapter when Sirius said not to trust Voldemort. Therefore, I think Arabella was talking about something more...permanent, I guess. So, what exactly was she suggesting Voldemort do?**

I definitely saw more Sirius than Voldemort in this chapter, except when he went to fight the Death Eaters. Aren't the Death Eaters going to be confused, though? I mean, the person who attacked them was certainly skilled and talked like their master, so shouldn't it not take long for them to put two and two together? I mean, he was with Harry Potter, who has been on Voldemort's mind a lot in the past years. Even though he was protecting them, if any Death Eater considers the possibility that he really was Voldemort, they would probably think that he was up to some plot, which is sort of true, isn't it?

Sirius said to not trust Voldemort that one time he was able to get out fully. I think he would be in a position to know, especially since he's sharing a body with Voldemort. However, Voldemort seemed very trustworthy in this chapter. Perhaps he's just trying to build trust so he can later use it sabotage Arabella and Harry? After all, a lot of it could have come from Sirius, who would be more prevalent in his surface personality because Arabella was being more or less pleasant with him. Is it then possible for Voldemort to sabatoge them? I know you said that there's more to it than just being nice to him to help coax Sirius' personality out a bit more, but even with just that, Sirius has come through admirably. With that in mind, if everybody treats Voldemort the way Arabella does, wouldn't Sirius' personality come out enough to hold Voldemort back before he does anything truly sinister? When Voldemort has shown through fully, it could be that Sirius saw the benefit of letting Voldemort take over (such as when he went out to fight the Death Eaters) or just wanted a rest from fighting to come out (such as when he talked about Dumbledore).

You're not really trying to say Voldemort isn't as bad as we think, right?

Didn't anybody notice that Arabella kept addressing Voldemort by his name, and he even shouted it out when he was attacked?

Also, why did Voldemort say Harry's cut was interesting right before he summoned them to his quarters? After all, they were just in a mini-battle, and Voldemort had been hurt. Why would it be unusual that Harry had gotten cut?

I don't know if you mentioned this, but were the Death Eaters wearing their usual garb? I mean, wouldn't everybody have been more aware that something was about to happen if they were wearing their customary Death Eater uniforms? Were they really just rampant Death Eaters, or are they the Death Eaters Voldemort mentioned who openly renounced Voldemort and joined in with the other wizard?

Also, Voldemort tried to make it seem as though Harry was too confused to realize who had ordered Wormtail to kill Cedric. However, despite everything else going on, it's unlikely that Harry would hear something that was there, and who else was there to say it aside from Voldemort? After all, Wormtail wouldn't tell himself to kill Cedric, and the only people at the graveyard at the time were Harry, Cedric, Voldemort, and Wormtail. Was Voldemort insinuating that somebody else was there? Was he perhaps suggesting the Wizard from the north was there? This definitely can't be a case of Sirius' personality pushing through because I don't think Sirius would try to back Voldemort up on this argument.

Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

Goodness! That was...long!

OK, let me see if I can straighten that first one out. In a sense, you answered your own question, just without details. Yes, Arabella was suggesting something a little more 'permanent' when she ask Voldemort to let Sirius go free. And you're right, Voldemort did allow Sirius to take control of the body when he allowed Harry to talk to him. But there's a big difference between that and between what Arabella ask of him. Letting Sirius regain control enough to speak is one thing. That is simply Voldemort 'stepping into the background', as it were and allowing Sirius control of his body again. Arabella wants Voldemort out all together, which he said he couldn't do. Was he telling the truth? That remains to be seen. However, Voldemort also can't very well leave Sirius' body without another one to go to, can he? So he is, so-to-speak, currently stuck with nowhere else to go.

Won't the Deatheaters figure out this is Voldemort, put two and two together, as you said? Dear. These are Deatheaters. Please. They put two and two together and they usually get five or something. Rarely four. And seeing Voldemort with Harry is certainly not going to strengthen his case that he is Voldemort, since he wasn't killing him at the time. Add to that that he was actually protecting the boy and his case holds water like a sieve.

Yes, indeed, Sirius would be in a position to know. But this is a whole part of this story, Dear. Is Voldemort on the up-and-up, or is he just up-to-something? That is what the readers have to sort out. Hopefully I'll lay out enough clues.

No. Treating Voldemort 'nice' only allows Sirius a certain amount of control. Not full control. Voldemort, as caster of the spell, maintains control until he willingly relinquishes it. All being 'nice' to him does is allows a bit more a Sirius to emerge in the personality, as you saw in the last chapter. And yes, each personality does see the advantage at times of allowing the other to take control. You'll being seeing this a bit more in later chapters.

Am I saying Voldemort isn't as bad as you think? That, Dear, is part of the story and for you to decide.

Did anybody notice Arabella saying his name? People milling about here and there, not really. Later, people were running and screaming. Voldemort could have been yelling out lottery numbers and I doubt anyone would have noticed. Besides, the only ones who were really around at the time were Deatheaters. And they didn't care if he called himself Father Christmas. What they saw was little Harry Potter with some woman and a strange man (remember the concealment charm).

He wasn't commenting on the cut, Dear. If you go back and re-read that, he was looking at Harry's arm when he made that comment. What he found interesting was related to what happened between Harry and Katlin in Runaway. If you remember, Katlin removed the Dark Mark from her arm by transferring it to Harry's, and then the mark disappeared. Things that happen in other stories come back to haunt my characters. That's why I often advise reading most of my stories, and I try to point out if they are inter-connected somehow.

The Deatheaters were not dressed in their usual regalia. Just standard black robes. And they were Voldemort's Deatheaters, not the other wizard's people.

You're going to have to decide this one for yourself, Dear. Again, its a large part of the story and its not the first time you're going to hear something from Voldemort's 'point of view'. So, was he telling the truth about what happened in the graveyard? You'll have to decide for yourself or wait and see.

hug-me:

Thank you, Dear. We have a lot more coming.

jupimako:

Goodness! Most of them in the past day? Someone definitely had the weekend free.

I'm glad you like the character development and interaction. I put a great deal of time into making sure things flow together smoothly.

Indeed, you will get to see Harry and Katlin 'reunited'. It's a bit hard to call it a reunion, since Katlin has never actually left where Harry is concerned. She is, after all, about to become his aunt for all intents and purposes. A role she takes very seriously. And she does, in fact, like Harry, and has popped in and out to see him since their parting in Runaway. Something Sirius and Arabella were aware of. They didn't like it, they were just aware of it. But knowing that Katlin is Orion's wife (yes, they know), they figure she isn't likely to harm the boy. So, watch for the 'reunion' chapter. It's really quite cute.

MasterLupin:

**Well manipulation is a great skill, one that I know Voldermort would be able to put to great use. And Harry is so pron to manipulation that he would easly fall for it.**

Ok, first off, yes, Voldemort could teach almost anyone the art of manipulation. As for Harry being prone to manipulation, I don't know I would say that so much as is the poor boy just a little too gullible.

**Family Life**

Me The Cat:

Cute name.

I have a club forming for people who have mentioned this, by the way. Yes, he appeared at times to come off a bit immature to some people. What can I say? It's all in how you view the character.

**Fever**

amanda burke:

I'm sorry, Dear, but this story is finished. No more chapters.

**Diamond**

gabbana:

Where do you people come up with these names? I love this one.

Anyway, thank you, Dear. I enjoyed working on this story a great deal. It was one of my one shots that I sat down and wrote day because I was bored.

All reviews are as of 01/22/2006.

And remember;

Why do they sell hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight?


	19. Chapter 19

Pre-A/N: So, 'what', you may well ask, 'is a pre-A/N'?

Well, folks, that's what I put in when I already finished the chapter and something happens that prevents me from posting and I want to say a few words about it.

In this case, yes, I was all set to post this last week, but suddenly found my account had been frozen out.

Now, 'why' remains a mystery. Especially to me, since FFN appears none to interested in enlightening me to the transgression. For all I know, I called the legitimacy of one of them into question while they were standing next to me at a crowded bus stop. Who knows. But, as I sit typing this, I can only hope the ban on PAR has been lifted and I can get back to business.

A/N: Ummmmmmmmm..., speechless. First time for everything.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: REGAINING CONTROL (PART TWO)**

Apparating to the Deatheater lair, Voldemort took Orion in by a side entrance he doubted even Katlin was aware of, since she had never once mentioned it to him.

Orion tried his best to look the part of a man who had never been within the Deatheater lair before in any great detail. But the truth of the matter was he probably could have led Voldemort to where they were going. And gladly would have done so.

The private rooms within the lair that belonged to Katlin Griss.

Inside her private apartments, Katlin sat behind a large desk, going over several papers when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." She stated loudly enough to be heard outside the door.

Katlin looked up as the door opened. She dropped her quill when she saw who it was, replacing it within seconds with her wand. Since almost the first day Moody placed the unrecognizable charm on Sirius, Orion had broken it between Katlin and Sirius, feeling it was better she could see him for who he was. And now the man stood before her, although she had no idea what her brother-in-law wanted or how he had gotten into the lair. But her curiosity heightened even more at the man standing next to him. Orion never came to see her at the lair with anyone, least of all Sirius.

Something wasn't right, and she chose to play things safe rather than the way her body wanted, which ran along the lines of shoving her brother-in-law back out the door and jumping her husband right there.

"Well, now." She stated in as level a voice as she could manage. "This is an interesting surprise. A criminal and an Auror coming to visit. And to what do I owe the pleasure, gentlemen?" She asked, keeping her wand leveled at the two.

"Well," Orion stated evenly. "I don't deny being an Auror, Katlin. But this man is no criminal. Well," He reconsidered, "sort of."

Katlin focused her wand on the other man. "There are many in the ministry who say differently."

"And at this moment, I'm one of them." Orion agreed quickly.

Voldemort gave the man next to him an irritated stare, then turned his attention back to Katlin.

"Do you know who I am, Katlin?" Voldemort asked her.

"Sirius Black." Came the unhesitant reply.

Voldemort shook his head. "No, Katlin. I am your lord, Voldemort."

Katlin gave a short, derisive laugh. "I had heard you were insane, Black. But I never thought you were going around trying to prove it."

Orion took a cautious step forward. "Katlin, listen to him." He stated carefully. "He is telling you the truth."

Katlin's eyes shifted ever so slightly to those of her husband. She knew above all else, Orion would never lie to her, but this was simply too much to believe.

"Voldemort is dead." she replied steadily. "He was killed in the southern lair several weeks ago. All the Deatheaters know this, although we have kept the news as much out of the hands of the Ministry as we can. But apparently you at least have found out." she added, training her wand on Orion. "And you and your insane brother came up with this lame plot to try and fool us." She gave a short snort of laughter. "It is positively ludicrous."

Orion wasn't the least bit surprised Katlin could deliver news of Voldemort's supposed demise so dispassionately. For years he had watched her slowly slipping further and further from under the man's spell. The things Voldemort had done in the past few years had shaken her believe in him badly. To the point she questioned if the things she had heard others say about him didn't hold at least a fair share of truth. That the man she had loved and adored and served so loyally wasn't the man she thought he was at all. A struggle he watched her wage within herself for years now, trying to come to a decision as to where her faith should be placed.

"Katlin," he spoke carefully, fixing his stare on her, "I am telling you the truth. This is Voldemort."

Katlin tilted her chin up as she returned his gaze measure for measure. "Prove it." She said defiantly.

"How?"

"Tell me something only Voldemort would know."

Voldemort fixed his stare on her. "The day before this happened I told you what to expect. I told you I had found a spell that would allow me to inhabit the body of another person."

Orion turned abruptly at the man next to him. "You said you told no one!"

"I told one just hours before I executed the plan. My highest ranking Elite." Voldemort answered, keeping his eyes on Katlin.

Orion shifted his gaze back to Katlin. He had wondered since his talk with Voldemort earlier why, if he had told Katlin about his plans, that she hadn't warned him. Usually such secrets were off bounds between them. But this one had involved a danger to her brother in-law.

But by his own words Voldemort had only told her about his plans hours before executing them. She likely hadn't had the time to say anything to him. And once the spell was done, what could she have done? To have told him then was too dangerous. It would have branded her a traitor, and if she survived after that it would have at the very least banded her from the lair, something that would have spelled disaster for her. Katlin depended on her continued access to the Deatheaters and her position with the Elite for her very survival. At least as long as they still trusted her, she knew Voldemort's plans.

A careful nod told her he understood her action in withholding the information. But whether she needed the reassurance or not never showed in her expression as Katlin turned back to Voldemort.

"Why come here with him, of all people?" She ask, gesturing with a nod of her head towards Orion.

"His presence assured me that you would listen to me." Voldemort replied. "Black has been your lover for years, Katlin. While I have never particularly favored the arrangement, he has given us a good deal of information for the privilege."

Orion saw the slight wincing in his wife's expression. And he knew the cause. She hated whenever Voldemort had anything to say about the relationship she had with the Auror. She had told him many of the conversations she had with the dark lord over it. Carefully aligning it to fit in with Voldemort's own plans and believing he could use it as an important source of information trading. But she could never hide how it made her feel. She had always told her husband that Voldemort always managed to reduce the relationship to something that plain and simply made her feel dirty. She always left such meetings feeling more like a prostitute than a man's wife.

But he had always done his best to console her on the matter, reminding her they couldn't exactly tell Voldemort the truth. Although he did suggest several times it would be interesting to see what Voldemort would do if he knew that his head Elite had married the second highest ranking Auror in the Ministry of Magic. A speculation he could always depend on to cheer her up as he presented different scenarios to the event.

"That was a serious risk to take." Katlin replied, her stare focusing on Orion.

Orion lifted his head slightly. Even if Voldemort didn't catch the tone, he heard the statement all too clearly. She was angry with him. And the answer as to why came all too quickly.

"Sometimes," Katlin continued in a neutral tone, "Mr. Black isn't as attentive as he should be, and he is, therefore, not always welcome in my presence."

Ah. The old argument. She wasn't seeing him as often as she wanted to.

Orion simply favored her with a small smile.

"I shouldn't be too angry with him, Katlin." Voldemort replied to her. "After all, Mr. Black has supplied you with some very valuable information over the past few months. Why, much more of your charms, and I would wager we could make a very good Deatheater out of the man."

"Don't flatter yourself, Voldemort." Orion put in curtly. "Your Deatheater is simply a good..."

"I have no need to hear your crude references about my Deatheaters, Mr. Black." Voldemort cut him off sharply. "Especially one of my Elite. And you would do well to speak very carefully about this one especially. I tolerate this relationship only because of the information you bring us. Nothing more."

Orion turned his eyes to Katlin. Standing slightly behind the man, and sure he was out of Voldemort's line of sight, he slowly wet the tip of one finger and caressed it slowly over his upper lip.

"Always." He said quietly. But with a pleasured smile, he watched his wife's eyes narrow. If no one else had been in the room with them, he had no doubt he would be on the floor, on his back at this point, well on his way to being stripped naked. But as it was, he was simply having fun watching her fight for her composure.

"Indeed." Katlin replied, her voice showing no hint of change whatsoever. A feat, given her building state, Orion doubted few people could have accomplished. "And if the Auror isn't careful," Katlin continued, a small smile playing across her lips, "he might find I have other ways of getting information out of people."

A cough behind him distracted Voldemort for a moment.

"Are you alright, Mr. Black?" He asked, turning briefly to the man, who was now nearly doubled over in a coughing fit.

"Fine!" Orion stated, gaining control of himself as he pulled up straight again. A positively indecent stare fixed on his wife.

It met a perfectly smug one. Katlin knew very well what reaction the comment would get, and Orion hadn't disappointed her one bit. It had been a risk, to be sure. But she was willing to take it to prove two could play his game, reminding him with one sentence what her specialty was when it came to satisfying her husband's desires.

"Katlin," Voldemort regained her attention, "I need to regain control of the Deatheaters. I need your help to do that."

"I can't convince them of something they have already been told is impossible." Katlin replied. "Most of them think you are dead. There is little I can likely tell them that will convince them otherwise. Especially if I stand there with an Auror, no matter how insane they believe him to be. They will simply believe I am under a spell of some sort."

Voldemort waved off her concern. "Currently the majority of them appear to listen to you and follow your orders. Tomorrow morning I want you to assemble them in the hall of the lair. Once there I need you only to maintain control of them for a short time. I have ways to convince them on my own I am who I say. But without your help, I would never even get the chance. In this body, they would attempt to kill me on sight."

Katlin considered the situation for several moments, casing a quick look at her husband. Orion gave her no more help then a slight shrug, stating he was leaving the decision up to her whether or not to go along.

Finally she straightened her shoulders and fixed her gaze on the man with Orion. "Very well." she replied. "I will take you to the lair tomorrow morning. But if I find out this is some sort of Auror trick...if you fail to prove your claim, the first spell that will hit you will be mine." She warned solemnly.

Voldemort consulted his watch in a manner that indicated he wasn't the least bit offended or concerned by Katlin's declaration.

"I really see no point in my returning to the castle as I am to address my people in the morning." He stated, turning to Orion. "I'll show you to the anti-apparition lines, Mr. Black, and then return..."

"Wait a minute." Orion stated suddenly as a perfectly wonderful idea came to light. If Voldemort believed his relationship with Katlin was nothing more than 'quid pro quo', than there was certainly no point in missing an opportunity.

Voldemort turned an irritated stare to him.

"What is it now, Mr. Black?"

"Well," Orion stated thoughtfully as he gazed at his wife, "it would seem to me as though I've been something of a rather large help to you here."

"Your point?"

Orion focused his attention on Katlin.

"I think some sort of reward is in order." He stated unabashed.

Katlin's eyes widened. Although at first they shown with pure delight, she quickly masked it under a different emotion altogether.

"What?" She stated indignantly.

Voldemort had kept his stare thankfully fixed on Orion the entire time.

"I find that comment somewhat inappropriate, Mr. Black."

"And I may find my memory fading the next time you need information on an Auror operation." Orion shot back, his eyes never leaving Katlin.

"And whereas I may be many things to Ms. Griss," Voldemort stated in a low, level tone, "you will find one thing I am not...is her pimp!"

"Do tell."

Voldemort turned slowly to Katlin.

"And what would you have me do with him?" He asked her cordially.

Katlin looked all the part of a woman insulted beyond words.

"Throw him out." She stated in a low hiss.

"It appears a lonely night for you, Mr. Black." Voldemort stated, taking him none to gently by the arm.

"Wait!" Katlin spoke up suddenly as they started for the door.

Voldemort turned back to her with a questioning stare.

Katlin met it with a small, well-crafted smile. "On second thought," She said in a voice as smooth as black silk, "perhaps instead Mr. Black has earned himself the right to become a bit more familiar with some of my other methods for getting information. And he has, after all, been such a help to you tonight, my lord," she added, walking over to Orion and suddenly yanking him towards her by the shirt, "I think he has more than earned himself a 'reward'." Katlin hissed at him between clenched teeth.

"Methods?" Orion asked quietly, staring down at the vexed woman before him, fighting hard to keep the smile off of his face.

Voldemort sighed to himself as he let go of Orion's arm. He walked slowly to the door before turning back to the two.

"One day, Mr. Black," he stated slowly, "you might just learn the virtue of keeping your mouth shut." Voldemort turned briefly to his Elite. "Not too much, Katlin." He stated before stepping out the door, "I may still need his help tomorrow."

"Good." Katlin answered as the door slid closed after him. "He just might be able to walk by then."

As soon as the door shut, Katlin turned her stare up to her husband. But there wasn't a trace of her earlier anger in it. Now it held promises of a night that would surpass whatever he had thought up to keep himself entertained during their long separation.

"So, Mr. Black," She purred to him as her violet eyes stared up at him with pure desire, "what will it be tonight? Reward...or punishment?"

"Oh, definitely 'punishment'!" Orion stated in a low, lustful whisper as he quickly pulled her into his arms and closed his mouth over her's. He broke away a few seconds later. "After all, your dark lord is going to need some screaming to go along with that threat of yours, Mrs. Black."

Katlin giggled under his lips as he pulled her back into another heated, passionate kiss.

It was going to be a very good night.

**Q&A**

Skahducky:

**I understand that most Death Eaters are dunderheads, but some of them, as Voldemort told Orion, are intelligent. Were any of the Elite involved in the attack in Diagon Alley?**

I still think Voldemort's up to something. He still doesn't seem entirely innocent to me. (Sorry about the short reply; I'm rather busy today.) Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

Actually, no. Those were just plain old Deatheaters who happened to be in the right place at the right time. A first for some of them, I'm sure. They saw Harry wandering around Diagon Alley with apparently no more protection than two adults and, figuring it would be an easy matter to kill all three of them off, decided to have a shot at gaining a few brownie points. Unfortunately for them, it did not work out quite as they planned. Just goes to show you should never really piss off Voldemort.

Do you honestly believe that Voldemort isn't up to something? He's has, after all, been planning this for a very, very, VERY long time.

MasterLupin:

**Na I would have to say again that Harry is prone to manipulation, in OotP Voldermort didn't realy have to try to get Harry to fall into his trap. Then in HBP Harry demonstraites his lack of stratigic thinking. So I would have to say that Harry is prone to manipulation. I wonder will Voldermort ever realise what is truly going on between Orion and Kate?**

I have always said that a lot of what the boy depends on to staying alive is pure dumb luck.

Katlin and Orion have worked very hard at making people see exactly what they want them to of their relationship. Very few people know it for what it really is. Among them are Dumbledore, Orion's family, Arabella, Bo, Charlie, and (oddly enough) Orion's boss, Orin Bale. And might I add that that is another one of those relationships I just have far too much fun with for my own good. Orin and Katlin play off of each other better than almost any other two characters I have. And you will be seeing more of them in the future.

All reviews are as of 01292006.

And remember;

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Honestly, folks, the week has been so long, I'd write a whole other book just telling you about it. So I'll stick to the important stuff.

Yesterday was my Mom's 82nd birthday, so I just wanted to say 'Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you'.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN - REGAINING CONTROL (PART THREE)**

The following morning Orion awoke with the biggest smile on his face he'd had in weeks.

Married life certainly agreed with him. He could do a lecture series on it. Because once you found the right one, there was nothing better in his opinion than to waking up beside the same woman for the rest of your life. And for him, said woman was currently curled up contentedly in his arms, her soft breath caressing the hairs on his chest as she peacefully slept on.

Yes, Katlin was definitely 'the right one'.

Orion leaned down and gently kissed the tip of her nose. "Rise and shine, Love." he said softly. "The dark lord is waiting."

Katlin's only response to his words were to wrap her arms tighter about his middle and snuggle closer to him. A response that did little to encourage him to follow through with his own suggestion any more than she appeared to be.

"Katlin," Orion slowly began to extract himself from her arms with great effort, "time to get up, Love."

The suggestion met with as much success as the last one had. But this time she not only snuggled closer, but turned herself in his arms so that her body was now laying over his. "One good reason." Came the muffled response as she pressed her lips to his skin and began an extensive and intricate exploration of his chest with her tongue.

"Give me a minute." Orion replied as he waited to see where her current course of action was going to lead. As she began to plot what seemed like a firm course down his abdomen he doubted he could have come up with a reason if he had it written on a cue card and held in front of him.

When she finally reached her destination his brain short circuited completely. "Nope." he managed to ground out, "Can't come up with a single one."

An hour later, Katlin sat before a vanity table brushing out her hair as Orion sat impatiently on the bed waiting for her.

"We're going to be late." he stated for the tenth time.

Katlin's response was exactly the same as it had been the other nine. "No, we're not." And left it at that.

"It's your fault, you know." Orion stated. "I tried to get you up an hour ago."

Katlin got up and sauntered over to him. "And you fought me every inch of the way." She purred, lightly kissing his nose as she moved passed him to collect her robe.

"Just so you understand that when Voldemort asks, I fully intend to blame you for the time." he warned her as they headed for the door. "And I just might elaborate if he asks nicely."

Katlin huffed at the threat. "Right. There's something he'll want to listen to. And while your making our excuses," she added, turning back to him as she pointed to his leg, "put a limp in that gait of yours, please. I have a reputation to uphold."

Orion gave her a wicked grin. "Trust me, after the last hour, it's not that hard."

Katlin returned the smile as she opened the door. "That's what the last hour was about, Love." She answered with a quick kiss before they left the room.

Katlin had sent word out the night before that all Deatheaters were to assemble in the hall in the southern lair. Standing now before the assembly, as she waited for Voldemort, she scanned the crowd for those who might make trouble. Of course, there was always Treaks, standing with the group of Deatheaters he had recruited to his own whims. When Voldemort had presumably died, Treaks had tried to assume power, attempting to usurp Katlin's position. But the Elite had already fallen in behind her and most of the Deatheaters as well. What few Treaks was able to recruit were, in Katlin's opinion, of no consequence. He had a few in his entourage that caused her a certain amount of concern, but for the most part they were the same malcontents she had always had to deal with, who had simply now found a new leader. Shortly she reasoned they would grow as tired of Treaks as they had of following Voldemort and would swing their allegiance to the next would-be fool looking to seize power.

She carefully made note of where several others were and stationed Elite near them to make sure any trouble was quickly dealt with.

When Voldemort finally arrived some fifteen minutes after she and Orion had, Katlin quickly took her position at the railing of the platform that stood overlooking the room below. She did not call for silence, but simply waited for the room to grow quiet.

The wait was not a long one. Few Deatheaters or Elite would willingly disrespect their dark lord. Just as few would risk the same offense to his second-in-command, who was, for all intense and purposes, now their leader.

"A few weeks ago," Katlin began, her soft voice carrying through the hall with as much force and command as if she had shouted, "our dark lord was killed by the Auror, Sirius Black. Such an offense would not willingly go unpunished, but the Auror had appeared to vanish from the face of the very earth and has not been seen in months. Until now." Katlin stepped back and allowed Voldemort to step up to the rail next to her. "Fellow Deatheaters, my fellow Elite, I present before you now, the Auror, Sirius Black."

A quick mummer ran through the crowd as the Unrecognizable Spell was undone with Katlin's pronouncement. Several wands came up, but Katlin was quick to draw her own and aimed it at those gathered below, as did the Elite positioned among the others in the crowd.

"The first of you to fire a spell will be the first felled by my own." she stated, leaving no room for anyone to speculate as to her sincerity. "You will hear me out."

The room grew quiet again as wands slowly disappeared again under robes. Katlin patiently waited for things to quiet down before continuing, watching for signals from her Elite that they had things still under control.

"This man," she continued, "appears to be the Auror, Sirius Black. And he is, in fact, that man. But before Voldemort was attacked by the Auror, he had made provisions for himself whereas Black's own attack would serve our dark lord's purposes.

What many of you were not aware of in the weeks leading up to the attack on Voldemort was that the body our dark lord had so painstakingly created for himself had failed him. The body was dying. It became necessary for our dark lord to find another. A body he knew to be healthy and capable of supporting him in his need. Before the attack, Voldemort enacted a spell which allowed him to possess the body of anyone who mortal threatened his own ailing body. The man who foolishly did so was Sirius Black. But his attack was not unexpected, and Voldemort had, in fact, choreographed the entire event to suit his purpose. With Black's attack, Voldemort was able to take possession of his body and continue to live."

Katlin paused in her statement to let her words sink in for those below.

"The man you see standing next to me, my fellow Deatheaters, my fellow Elite, is not the Auror, Sirius Black. This man is your dark lord, Voldemort, returned to lead you."

Katlin had steeled herself for almost any reaction her words met with. From stunned silence to all out attack, she had run every scenario in her mind. And so the one she got did not completely surprise her.

A soft laugher echoed up from below. Not from the crowd itself, most of which turned to the sound, but from a sole member of the group.

Katlin expected to be facing Treaks, but instead found herself glaring down at a member of the Deatheaters. An older female who Katlin recognized as a long time thorn in her side named Marla Durbanks.

She was definitely going to enjoy convincing the others of her sincerity in this matter.

"I have always thought you such a serious one, Griss." the woman said, barely keeping the humor out of her voice, "so much so that I never took you for one to play practical jokes."

Katlin stared down at the woman as though she were something of little consequence. "Jokes?"

"You expect us to believe this man is Voldemort? That the dark lord foresaw his own demise and prepared for it by planning to steal the body of an Auror? That is ludicrous!"

The woman was on the floor, screaming in agony before most realized Katlin had even spoken the curse.

"And my word is not to be questioned by any, least of all the likes of you, Durbanks." Katlin declared . "I speak. You obey, not question." Katlin just as quickly resheathed her wand in her robes as she turned back to the others. "Does anyone else question my word?"

Not a soul moved below as a few cast wary glance to the woman still moaning on the floor of the hall.

"Very well." Katlin stated. "Then as you have listened to and obeyed me these past weeks, so will you now listen to and obey our dark lord."

Katlin stepped back to allow Voldemort his place overlooking the Deatheaters assembled below. For a moment he simply stood silently and surveyed the scene.

"Tell me," he stated in a voice that carried like a slow roll of thunder through the chamber, "who do you see before you?"

A pin could have dropped outside and Voldemort would have bet he could have still heard it. That was good. It meant they were thinking things over.

"You see before you the Auror, Sirius Black, am I right?"

There was a mummer of assent, but still no one spoke out loud.

"You are all aware the Auror Sirius Black is not a sane man. But even he is not so irrational he would walk into this lair, with his brother, and make the claim before you I have made. Therefore you must assign to it some level of truth. Your own head Elite has stood before you now and professed her belief. She has done so because I was able to convince her. Just as I am now going to convince you."

Voldemort turned slowly to Katlin. "You have done very well, Katlin." he stated. "But your presence here is no longer needed. I wish you to take Mr. Black and personally escort him from the lair. Then return here."

Katlin knew better than to protest the dismissal. It would raise Voldemort's suspicions. But certainly no more than her own were at being sent away from the meeting.

"Are you sure, my lord?" she ask carefully. "If there is trouble..."

"Katlin," came the slow warning, "escort Mr. Black from the lair please. Then return here."

Katlin concealed her unease as well as always and quickly took her leave from the man's presence, practically dragging Orion out with her.

"What was that about?" Orion ask as soon as they started down the hallway. "Why did he send you out?"

"I don't know." Katlin replied hurriedly as she moved him quickly through the corridors, "but I want to get back as soon as possible and find out why. So move!"

"He's up to something." Orion put in quickly.

"No doubt. And the sooner I get back, the sooner we'll know what."

Back in the chamber, Voldemort listened to the two depart before he addressed the Deatheaters again.

"As you can see," he started, "rumors of my death, as they say, have been greatly exaggerated.

Not a soul below moved, but kept their attention focused on the man above them.

"Some of you remained loyal to me during my absence." Voldemort went on. "You continued to carry out my desires and my wishes as you knew I would want them to be. And those of you who have done so will be rewarded. But others of you," his voice dropped to a menacing growl, "others of you have seen my departure as a cause for running rampant in the streets. For carrying on as though you had no one to answer to for your actions. That was a dangerous mistake. Because you did have someone to answer to. You will now answer to me."

The group grow noticeably restless as several glanced around them.

"Larser, Mackins, Brimms, Pol, Raines...," the list went on for several moments as each name mentioned connected to a person who slowly came forward.

Voldemort watched as the group assembled below him.

"Each of you," he stated in a low, menacing voice, "took it upon yourselves to stage an attack in Diagon Alley a few days ago. That, in and of itself, was bad enough. But you chose as your targets a young boy and a woman."

No one in the group that now stood in the forefront of the assembled Deatheaters dared so much as move. They failed utterly to see, if this was indeed Voldemort, why he suddenly cared about the age or gender of who they attacked. Especially since the boy had been Harry Potter and the woman Arabella Figg, a well-known Auror to the Deatheaters.

Voldemort gave them little time to contemplate his words further as he continued. "You attacked the boy Potter and his guardians, of whom, at the time, I was one."

"There was no way for us to know it was you, my lord." One of the Deatheaters called out. "It was Roberts who declared the attack after all. We just did as we were told."

"By a low ranking Deatheater?" Voldemort stated. "You did not need much convincing then, you pathetic fool."

"Aye." came a low, rasping voice from within the group below. A large, burly man stepped out of the group and turned to face them. "Aye, you are a pathetic group." he stated in disgust. "You stand here, listening to the rantings of a lunatic! You believe this insane fool is Lord Voldemort? Do you really?" The speaker turned to face the man standing above him. "So," he stated in outright challenge, "you are Lord Voldemort? Back from the dead then, are you? Fine. Then you know who I am. And you can address your 'punishment' to my face."

Voldemort narrowed him gaze at the man. "Yes, I know you, Roberts. And a weaker, more pathetic man there never was in my presence."

Voldemort directed his wand at the man, who fell to the ground the instant Voldemort uttered the curse.

Leaving the man to his fate, Voldemort turned his attention back to the others, who now watched the man above them with noticeable apprehension.

"Mr. Roberts is not paying for his actions." Voldemort informed them. "He is paying for his insolence. The rest of you will share his fate if you show similar defiance. Those of you who do not wish to share that fate would do well to pay attention. The first point is that there will be no further unscheduled attacks. Not against muggles, half-bloods, or Aurors. Anyone who chooses to continue in these practices will answer for them. Our only enemy at present is the wizard in the North. He is gaining strength and followers every day. I will not have my resources being tapped by petty squabbles with the Ministry or anyone else. Since none of you has been able to bring this man to me, the only solution seems that I go myself to deal with him. But the man has proved himself to be only slightly more clever than I anticipated. He has put a Fedelis Charm on himself, and his secret keeper is more than a bit reluctant to help me locate him. Therefore, this person needs to be...persuaded. Brimms!"

One of those in the group below stepped forward slowly. "Yes, my lord?" he asked.

Voldemort leaned slightly over the rail. "Since Mr. Roberts is incapacitated at the moment, you are now leader of this..." Voldemort waved his wands over the small group gathered below, "...this group. If they seek to redeem themselves in my favor, they will do as you say. If you do not wish to join Mr. Roberts, you will do as I say."

Brimms bowed low before the man above him. "My loyalty has always been to you alone, Voldemort." he stated as he righted himself.

"Fine words, Brimms." Voldemort all but sneered at the man. "And you will now be given the chance to prove them."

"My lord?"

Voldemort pulled back up to his full height, staring down at the man. "You, Brimms, and the rest of these...," Voldemort waved his wand out at the group again before him, causing them to pull back slightly, "...followers of mine, participated in the attack in Diagon Alley for whatever reasons of your own. Reasons I don't pretend to understand or even much care about. My only concern is that in doing so, you interfered in my plans."

"But my lord," Brimms began, "we had no way of knowing tha..."

"Silence!" The word brought the man to an abrupt halt in his explanation as he quickly pulled back a few more steps. "I have no interest in your pathetic excuse, Brimms. Your only interest here should be in redeeming yourself in my eyes. A chance you are about to be generously given."

Brimms executed another low bow. "For which I am grateful, my lord."

"I am pleased to hear it." Voldemort again sneered at the man. He did not suffer fools gladly, but this particular one would serve his purpose well. "Because after today Brimms, you are not to take it upon yourself to do anything more than you are told. You will only attack who I say. Not whoever strikes your fancy. Is that clear?"

Brimms bowed again. "I live only to serve my lord."

Voldemort studied the man as he rose and looked back up at him. "You know the man you saw here tonight, Brimms? The one who stood next to my head Elite?"

"Yes, my lord. He was the Auror, Orion Black."

Voldemort nodded slightly. "That is correct, Brimms. And here are your orders." Voldemort fixed his stare on the man. "Kill him."

**Q&A**

MasterLupin:

**Hmm. Well I am thinking that the 'ball' is in Voldermorts court and he is about to do some amazing things with it. I am betting that Voldermort will begin another stage in his plan to world domination at this meeting that he will attend. Post again soon.**

Well, the ball is definitely in his court, and he certainly isn't wasting time batting it against the net. Things are definitely going to get more interesting as time goes on. But you can be sure that Voldemort isn't just making random choices here. He has a purpose in mind, as the next few chapters will show.

Skahducky:

**Seeing as Voldemort is back at the lair, it shouldn't take very long at all for him to notice that Orion and Katlin really love each other. They were barely able to keep it a secret during that conversation they had earlier. Anyway, this is a good chapter. Please update soon!**

Actually, Voldemort is about as clueless as everyone else about Katlin and Orion's true relationship. Although I have toyed with the idea of his finding out that not only is his head Elite truly in love with the Ministry's head Unspeakable, but that she's now his wife, I have yet to come up with a suitable reaction on Voldemort's part that I can actually write and keep the rating Fanfiction friendly. Therefore, to date, he hasn't a clue. As far as Voldemort and most of the rest of the world is concerned the relationship plays out as a sex for secrets thing. Orion is utterly smitten with Voldemort's head Elite and will do anything to keep gaining her favors and Katlin is simply playing him for a sap while milking him for Ministry secrets.

As for Orion and Katlin keeping their relationship a secret during their previous chapter's conversation, believe it that these two could carry on a conversation in front of anyone that had everything in it except them rolling on the floor, and no one would likely even notice.

Sometimes it isn't what you say, but how you say it.

All reviews are as of 02/19/2006.

And remember;

Why is it that people will order a large hamburger with everything on it, extra large fries, and then a diet coke?


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: It has come to my attention that perhaps my censure by FFN was due to my Author's Notes, which I have been told are now forbidden. Since FFN has decided not to inform me if this is the case, perhaps someone out there can tell me; Have Author's Notes been banned?

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: THE ATTACK**

"Hershel?"

Katlin bolted upright in her bed.

Next to her, her husband stretched out under the covers, then turned one barely opened eye to his wife. "Love," he said in a half-sleep induced voice, "if you have to dream about other men, at least have the courtesy not to wake up screaming their names. And as for this particular dream," he added cautiously, "I can only hope that the name to follow that first one wasn't 'Bennett'. Because my wife having dreams about my uncle is a bit more than I can handle at one in the morning."

But Katlin appeared not to have even heard him, already pulling herself out of the bed.

A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Katlin, where are you going?"

"Hershel's." she stated, grabbing for her robe at the end of the bed. "I have to go to Hershel's."

Orion held onto her. "Love, it's one in the morning. Even the king of the Dementor's needs his sleep."

Katlin wretched her hand free. "But he's in trouble." Katlin replied, her voice teetering on hysterics. "He was calling me. He needs help. Orion, something is very, very wrong."

Getting up, Orion barely had time to grab his own robe before catching up to her at the door. Again he grabbed her wrist. "If something is wrong then you're not going over there alone." he stated.

They had both only managed to get home a few hours earlier. Katlin having returned from the lair after an unsuccessful day of trying to uncover Voldemort's latest scheme, and Orion from the castle, having explained to Dumbledore he needed at least one night a month at home, if for no other reason than to remind him family of who he was and that he did, in fact, live there.

The evening hadn't been wasted, either. No sooner was he in the door than he was deluged by a wave of tiny hands as the two younger children fought for chance at a cuddle from their father while the older two immediately set him up as referee of their latest dispute. And amid it all, Katlin passed the toddler off to him, who was in complete tears over something, but who immediately settled down and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck with a now contented sigh.

He couldn't have been happier.

And the evening had ended with a soft affectionate cuddle with his wife in their own bed before settling down to sleep.

Now he was wide awake again, trying to keep up with Katlin as she bolted out of the bedroom.

He had never approved of the bond Hershel had set between himself and Katlin, but there was painfully little he could do about it. Hershel himself had explained that once enacted, the bond couldn't be broken, and every person and spell book Orion had consulted seemed to bare the statement out.

And Katlin certainly didn't seem to mind when Hershel summoned her. She always went gladly, explaining to her husband that Hershel needed someone he could depend on. Life was hard enough for him, and after what he had done for them, it was truly a small price to pay.

But a summons at one in the morning was a bit over the top, Orion thought. What could the half-Dementor want with his wife at one in the morning?

Hurrying down the hallway, Katlin broke free of his hold again at the stairs and hurried down them. But again Orion managed to catch her hand at the bottom of the stairs and pulled her towards the cellar.

"What are you doing?"

"If you insist on going to Hershel's, Bo can get us there faster." Orion stated as he banged on the door. "Bo!" he called through the door. "Come on. Walkies."

Almost immediately the tower of robes appeared next to them. It paused for a moment, then shook its head before settling it gaze on them. A flurry of gestures started that Orion quickly brought to a halt. "Bo, I am sorry if we woke you." he stated.

Katlin turned quickly to him. "I thought you said he didn't sleep?"

"He doesn't." Orion replied, "He's just being obstinate." Turning back to the boggart, Orion continued. "Bo, this is important. We need you to take us to Hershel's house."

The boggart paused again, leaning forward as though he didn't quite catch what Orion had just said. But suddenly he launched into a flurry of gestures again, these much more pronounced than the ones before.

Again Orion waved him off. "I know all that." he stated. "I didn't say you had to go 'in' the house. Just take us to it, all right?"

Katlin was about to protest the further delay when she suddenly found herself standing before Hershel Bennett's stately mansion.

Although at one time the house had stood in a state of severe disrepair, it now could grace the cover of any decor magazine, muggle or wizard. Tall, ornate columns lined the front of the three story house while two story oval capped windows gave a regal state of elegance to it. Pristine white, Orion was willing to bet that at any given time you couldn't find so much as a bug crawling its walls. For as stately and majestic as the home looked, it was still a house that no living creature would willing enter. Standing before the house, Orion faced the ascending staircase to the two large oak doors that guarded the entrance.

"Now the question is how to get in?" Orion pondered, staring at the house. It was well known that Hershel warded his house to the highest levels. No one could enter the house if the owner did not wish it. "Any ideas?" he ask the black mass of robes next to him.

But before Bo even had time to answer, Katlin broke away from them and ran up the stairs to the large oak front doors. With a single shove, she pushed the doors open and disappeared inside.

Pausing for a moment, Orion finally turned back to the boggart. "Never mind, Bo." he said calmly. "It appears my wife has a key."

Orion left the boggart standing on the front lawn as he hurried up the stairs after Katlin. But once inside the foyer he stopped dead, standing as motionless as his wife at the sight that greeted him.

The area before them was utterly destroyed. The only thing that remained in tact were the large glass windows that stood on either side of the doors. Whoever had been there before them obviously had not wanted to alert the outside world to the chaos within. And as Orion recalled standing outside the front of the house, they had done a good job of just that. Looking at the house from the outside, no one would guess the destruction that lay behind its doors.

Inside, the foyer was systematic and complete destruction. Everything from the furniture to the floor to the walls and even the ceiling bore some mark of the forces that had turned the area into a war zone. And directly in the middle of the destruction was what appeared to be its sole casualty.

Suspended by four ropes, spread eagle some nine feet above the destruction, was Hershel Bennett.

Katlin stood staring in abject horror at the sight before her, not making a move or a sound.

"We have to get him down." Orion instructed as he walked past her.

On instinct Katlin woodenly pulled her wand from her robes. But Orion stopped her with a with grab of her wrist.

"No." he stated quickly. "Any jarring of the body could injure him further." He wouldn't even make the suggestion to her that the man might be well past caring if his body was jarred about anymore. Katlin had not only taken well to her role as Hershel's private valet, but she had genuinely embraced the man as a friend. He had never heard her speak so much as one word against the man, and staunchly defended him against anyone who did.

Losing him would likely devastate her. Whereas he would feel it was a favor long over-due the world.

Following the suspension of the ropes, Orion located where they were tied off at the far side of the foyer. Hurrying over to them, he quickly undid them and slowly lowered the man into the arms of his wife, who quickly cradled him in her lap as she brushed the matted hair away from his face.

Orion hurried back over to them. "How is he?" he ask.

Katlin was already running her hand carefully down the man's arms and torso, assessing the damage as she went. A natural healer, Katlin could gauge injuries faster than the best medi-wizard.

Shaking her head, she tried to hold her voice steady. But still it came out shaken and strained. "It's not good." she whispered. "Whoever did this, they did not expect him to survive." She shook her head again. "Look at him." She added vehemently, anger strengthening her tone. "He was sport to them."

"Sport?"

"They could have killed him outright. But they didn't. They wanted him to suffer. They wanted him to die in pain."

Orion watched in silence as Katlin continued her assessment of the man's injuries. As her hand continued to travel over his body he noted it was now covered in blood, much as Hershel's body was. There wasn't a place on the man that she could touch that wasn't bathed in his own blood.

Orion could not begin to guess who was responsible for this. It wasn't as though Hershel didn't have his share of enemies. The man seemed to positively cultivate them and then constantly dare them to attack him.

In over thirty years, not one had ever succeeded.

But the best of them had been driven off a screaming lunatic by the man most whispered was more Dementor than human anymore. And Orion was the last to argue with them. Hershel seemed to revel in the Dementor's powers even as it slowly ate away at his humanity. The only person Orion had ever seen the man show the slightest care towards was the woman who now cradled him in her lap. Whatever cord Katlin had struck in the man, it had likely been the last sole remaining breath of humanity in him. And she had grabbed hold of it and nurtured it, using it as often as she could to remind the man of who and what he once was.

"We have to get him out of here before whoever did this decides to come back to check on their handy work."

Katlin's head snapped up. "No!"

Orion turned back to her. "Why not?"

Katlin shook her head. "I don't know." she replied. "Just...the minute you made the suggestion...I just felt...afraid." Understanding dawned over her features as she turned back to the man in her arms. "You can't take him from the house, Orion. It protects him somehow. It's how he has managed to stay alive this long. If we take him out of it, he'll die."

Orion didn't question Katlin's statement. Part of her bond with Hershel was an almost empathetic link between them. Katlin felt what he felt, seemed to be able at times to read his thoughts or know what he needed without his having to ask her for it.

"Then we're going to need help for this." he stated, pulling out his wand and pointing it to a side area of the foyer. On a word, a large fire sprang to life in the midst of the open area.

"Talon Black." Orion stated.

Within moments a tall figure, dressed in black, emerged from the flames, the fire disappearing immediately behind him. The man appeared to be simply an older version of his son. He was approximately the same height as Orion. His face the same configuration of sharp angles and planes. His hair the same raven black, with the exception that the older man's was now peppered with silver.

Katlin had met her father-in-law many times over the past years since, despite his stern appearance, the man absolutely doted on his grandchildren and used nearly any excuse to come to the house with his wife. It was the man's sheer force of presence that Katlin could never get use to. Power seemed to simply emanate from him.

The man said not a word as he took in the scene around him. Finally he turned a hard stare to his son.

"So this is what it takes to get you to say my name?" the older man ask.

"Based on what's happened here, I felt perhaps you were the best person to call."

Talon quickly knelt next to his former partner. "What's happened to him?"

"Katlin woke from a dream tonight feeling something had happened to Hershel." Orion explained. "When we came to check we found the foyer destroyed. Hershel was tied to four ropes and suspended from the ceiling. Katlin said if we try to move him from the house, we'll kill him."

Talon was already running his hand down the man's body with a whisper soft touch. "She would be right." he replied finally, pulling back. "He's very badly injured. Whoever did this I doubt even thought he was still alive when they left. As it is, they were careless." Talon looked about the foyer again. "Hershel always kept his house warded. Not only to keep others out, but to protect himself. If he was ever sick or injured, he would literally feed off of the house to heal himself. In his current state, removing him from it would have been the worst possible thing for him." Talon turned back to his son. "Where's Bo?"

The question took Orion completely off-guard. Usually his father always knew where the boggart was simply by virtue of their connection. But he quickly remembered the wards Hershel had placed on the house, one of which was placed there specifically against the boggart. It would surely weaken that connection.

"He's out front." Orion replied.

"Then get him in here. We'll need his help."

Orion stood silently in place, making no move to comply with his father's wish.

The older man turned to him. "Well?"

"You know how Bo feels about coming into Hershel's house." he answered. "He doesn't like it."

"His personal likes and dislikes are irrelevant to me at this moment." the older man replied in a stone cold voice as he got to his feet. "And he'll do as I say."

Orion stepped in front of his father. "Let me talk to him." he said quickly. "He'll be a lot more help if he comes in of his own free will."

Orion hurried back out of the house, not only to cut off his father, but because he knew any time he wasted was time Hershel may not have.

Bo was exactly where Orion had left him, although he had taken to entertaining himself, it seemed, with a small grasshopper, which he was slowly following across the front lawn. He turned his head as Orion approached and quickly made a gesture in the air before him.

Orion nodded in answer. "Yes, father's inside." he replied. "Which is where he would also like you to be."

The boggart froze, then quickly shook his head.

Orion sighed to himself. This was not going to be easy. "Bo, Hershel's hurt and father needs you inside to help him."

The boggart shook his head again.

Orion knew Bo's refusal was going to be pointless. While growing up, he and his brother had quickly learned that his father meant what he said, and when he wanted something done, there was generally no negotiating the terms.

He turned again to the boggart, trying another tactic.

"Bo, Hershel's hurt very badly. The injuries could...damage him." he explained, trying to put the situation in terms the boggart could understand. Bo simply never could seem to grasp the concept of the word 'dead' or any words associated with the state. The best he could ever get to was 'damaged', referring to something simply not being in its proper state. "Father says he can't be moved yet, and he needs help now. I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important, please."

The boggart stood stock still in front of him, staring back through its hooded view. For a brief moment, Orion was sure Bo was going to refuse again, but the next he found himself standing inside of the foyer once again.

"You really coddle him too much." was all his father had to say of the accomplishment. But Orion was determined not to let Bo's effort go un-rewarded.

"Thank you, Bo." he said past a small smile. "I know it's not easy for you, all right?"

The boggart reached forward and simply patted the man before him on the head.

"Bo!" the older man barked at the boggart.

The boggart shifted its attention quickly to the other man. Orion was never really sure how Bo felt about his father, but he often wondered. His actions around him could only be described as 'polite'. He never appear to hover over the man's attention to him as he did with Orion, but he wasn't completely immune to seeming to need some acknowledgement from him either. To Orion he could only ever best describe the relationship as a child constantly seeking its parent's approval. Approval that Orion knew was likely to never come. His father simply didn't see the relationship in those terms. The boggart was, to him, little more than a tool. One that was to be used sparingly, if at all.

Talon directed the boggart's attention to the man still laying as still and pale as death in Katlin's arms.

"You created this creature." Talon reminded him. "And now he is injured. He needs your help to heal himself."

Orion could see the boggart physically pull back from the order. His father's eyes narrowed as Bo went through a series of gestures, then fell silent.

"I do not," the older man stated in a low, measured voice, "remember asking your opinion on the matter. I am your host, and you will do as I say."

Standing next to the boggart, Orion heard it emit a low, quiet whimper. Laying his hand on the boggart's arm, he gave the creature a sympathetic look. "Bo, can you just keep him alive until we can heal him to a point he can help himself? Can you just do that?"

The boggart stepped back and lowered its head, shaking it under its robes. Quickly he made a few gestures, then shifted himself until he stood behind Orion, no longer facing the group before him.

"Don't coddle him, Orion." his father stated. "You give him too much will and look at how he abuses it."

"He's not abusing anything." Orion snapped back. "He afraid."

"He's being obstinate." Talon retorted. "Bo!"

But Orion stuck his hand out before the boggart could answer the summons. "Just give me a minute." Orion said. "This will go better if he helps willingly. You know that."

"And Hershel doesn't have time for you to sit and hold Bo's hand and coax him to cooperate."

As if on cue to confirm his statement, Katlin suddenly pulled up sharply with a soft groan. "He's slipping." she informed them, her eyes closed tightly in concentration. "We have to do something now or he won't survive."

Orion turned quickly to the boggart. "What about me, Bo?" he ask quickly. "Can you help Hershel through me?"

A hand grabbed Orion's arm and pulled him about to face the hard expression of his father. "No!" he stated sharply. "I forbid it!"

Orion met the set expression with his own. "It's not your choice." he replied calmly. "Bo," he stated, "let's go."

Holding his arms out, Orion welcomed the familiar feeling that had become second nature to him so easily. But the feeling didn't come this time. Instead a hand grabbed his arm again and pulled him back.

"Bo! Stop!"

Orion opened his eyes to find his father standing between him and the boggart, the man's stare fixed on his son.

"How many times," Talon stated slowly, "do I have to explain this to you? Every time he touches you, you die a little bit more."

"As a host." Orion reminded him. "I'm not the host. I'm only a channeler. Bo doesn't hurt me."

"You don't know that."

"And Hershel doesn't have the time for us to argue it out. Now this is the best way. If Bo is forced, he gets...unpredictable. You know that. If he gets nervous, he could end up hurting Hershel more. He could unintentionally kill him. How would that effect him if he felt he was responsible for killing someone? If he can work through me, he'll be more focused."

Talon paused as he considered the point. But Katlin's voice brought him back to the urgency of the situation. Sweat was beading across her forehead as she held her eyes shut in hard concentration. "Talon, please..." she begged in a strained voice. "I can't do this much longer."

Talon quickly stepped aside. "All right. But make sure you keep hold."

Orion quickly gestured to the boggart. "Come on, Bo."

Anyone watching the scene would swear the tower of black robes was about the attack the man before it as it lunged at him. But just before it made contact, it effortlessly wrapped itself about his body and just as quickly disappeared.

Keeping his eyes closed, Orion focused on the power suffusing itself with his own inborn magical ability. The feeling was positively addictive. He could easily understand how his grandfather had become so dependent on the 'Power', and why his own father so adamantly abstained from it.

Walking over to where Katlin still knelt with Hershel in her lap, Orion knelt next to them and carefully began to work over the man's body. As he worked he was glad he had not allowed Bo to attempt the work on his own. The healing was difficult and required a concentrated effort. But after several hours of careful, meticulous work, Orion felt he had done as much as he could.

Although Hershel was of Bo's making, and therefore linked to him, he was still, at least on some level, human. And Bo could never seem to quite get the hang of healing humans on his own. But working with Orion, and drawing on his knowledge base, the boggart had proved more than effective at healing on more than one occasion.

Katlin's anxious stare met her husband's. "Will he be all right?" she ask quietly. "Did Bo heal him?"

"We did all we could, Katlin. What he's going to need now is a great deal of rest."

"He'll need someone to look after him." she added. "I'll stay and make sure he is taken care of."

"You're not staying here!" Orion quickly snapped back. "If whoever did this comes back, you won't be a match for them alone. Even Hershel couldn't fight them off. That says a lot for their level of skill right there. He should be able to leave the house now without any repercussions. We just need to decide on where to take him."

"We can take him back to the castle." Katlin suggested quickly. "I can look after him there."

"I'll have to clear that with Dumbledore first. I'm not sure how he'll feel about having Hershel in the castle."

"For magic's sake, he's not a monster, Orion. Dumbledore would never turn away anyone in need of protection. And this attack alone proves that whoever was responsible, meant to kill Hershel."

"Well, he certainly isn't without his enemies. The only problem in the elimination process is not one of them has this kind of power that I'm aware of."

"What about more than one then?" A voice suggested from behind him.

Orion turned to face his father. "More than one?"

"As you suggested, any number of people have a bone to pick with Hershel. And as they say, 'Anyone who is the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. Perhaps a few of them met in a local pub one evening and decided there was strength in numbers."

"Knowing Uncle Hershel, it had to be more than a 'few of them'." Orion commented as he looked about the foyer again. "And from the looks of this place, it was one heck of a fight."

Talon gave a slight shrug. "Hershel was always known for standing his ground."

"Well, this time he almost ended up in it."

**Q&A**

**FAMILY RELATIONS**

MasterLupin:

**Hmm. I don't think that Orion will much care for this. I am thinking that Voldermort has sentinced all the death eaters tasked with this, to death. So I time to make a head on prediction.(for the first time in while.) I am going to guess that the death eaters will stalk Orion to his house or wherever it is that his children live. Orion will know that they have discovered the kids location and move them to the castle for protection. thats my prediction, and i sticking to it.**

I just love your theroies, Dear. Don't ever stop.

Now, on to said theory. Orion not care for it? Voldemort just effectively signed a death warrent on him. I doubt he's crazy about it either.

Now, as to who really got the death sentence, your right about that one. Something I'm willing to admit I hadn't even considered. And I'm writing this thing! So, congrad's to you, Dear, for out thinking the author. And yes, it is unlikely the Ministry will be in a very forgiving mood.

Now, as to the rest of it...ummmmmmmm..., no. Sorry. Aside from the brief note as was made in this chapter, Orion's children do not really ever come into this story. They would simply be too much of a story in and of themselves.

Skahducky:

**Maybe it's a good thing that Katlin is getting Orion to hurry up so she can get back. Maybe he'll be able to get away before the other Aurors can come after him? Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

Probably wouldn't matter how fast or slow she went, Dear. The Deatheaters still have to come up with a plan. Let's face it, you can't come after a man like Orion without one.

**FEVER**

Gersh:

I appreciate the warning, Dear, but that story went up LONG before this rule came out. (By the way, where is this posted exactly? I checked back posting on the Home page, where they would have had to list a change to TOS and could not find anything. Nor could I find it in the TOS. I would appreciate being directed to this, as that I have not read exactly what the ban is about.) FanFiction I would hope would not make everyone who has been doing this as long as I have go back and edit out the Author's Notes from all of their stories. It simply would not make sense. It would be needless wear and tear on their server for all the changes for one thing. And as for the work it would involve for me, I would simply let them delete the stories.

All reviews are as of 02/26/2006.

And remember;

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Well, according to R/R, I can still put these in, they just can't be longer than the chapter itself.

So, with that said, and that this is somewhat short chapter, let me just say,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: AFTERMATH**

Orion entered the Headmaster's office to much the gathering he expected when Dumbledore had called the meeting. To one side of the room sat Hershel Bennett, his chair situated as far from anyone else's as comfort dictated. In his injured state Hershel wasn't as capable of reigning in his Dementor abilities as he usually was. So certain precautions were necessary.

Next to him, likely the only other person who could have tolerated the man's close proximity, was Orion's father, sitting defensively next to his former partner. Despite all that had separated them, Talon was still unfalteringly loyal to his one time partner. And as one of the side effects of his own inherent status as Host to the 'Power', he could tolerate the unsettling effects of what Hershel had acquired from the Dementor side of his nature.

Next to his father was an empty chair, presumably for him. Not that it mattered how close or far the chair was from Hershel. Orion knew for a fact that Bo could shield him with little trouble from Hershel.

In the next chair, set further apart from the empty one, was Arabella. Next to her sat Voldemort, and finally Snape.

"Please come in, Orion." Dumbledore gestured to the vacant seat. "We were just getting started."

Orion took the offered seat without a word, sitting down slowly as he felt out Bo's presence. But when he didn't sense any, he quickly turned to his father. Surely Talon had to be employing Bo on some level to be able to sit so close to Hershel without any ill effects.

But it was Hershel who answered his stare. "Do you honestly think I would allow that creature in this room?" he ask, never once turning his full attention to the younger man. "Or allow it even anywhere near me?"

"That fails to explain how anyone can be sitting in this room." Orion pointed out. "You're not strong enough yourself to reign in your powers."

"Mr. Bennett explained the...problem...to me." Dumbledore answered. "Setting up the necessary precautions was not difficult."

Poor Bo.

Orion often wondered if Bo honestly understood Hershel's feelings towards him. If he felt them as a simple unpleasantness or the downright hatred the man harbored for the boggart.

And of course, Hershel wasn't exactly sitting in the clear with Bo, either. As Orion had explained to Harry, Hershel was the only person Orion knew of for who the boggart had expressed a direct dislike.

"As we are all aware," Dumbledore cut into his musings, "last night Mr. Bennett was attacked by parties yet unknown. But if the evidence is correct, it points directly to this having been the work of the wizard in the north. That being the case, Mr. Bennett is in the unique position of being the only person to have ever survived such an attack."

"Because they were careless." Hershel put in. "They came with the intention of killing me. Black's arrival stopped them. They made too much of a sport of it. Took too long. I'm sure when they returned to their esteemed master," Hershel added with the barest trace of a smile, "they had some very serious explaining to do."

Orion quickly turned his attention tot he man to his right. "What do you mean my 'arrival stopped them'?"

Hershel gave a slight shrug. From the look that briefly crossed his face, it was more from pain then anything else that he cut the action short. "More Katlin's arrival than yours. I did not, after all, call you. I called to her."

Two chairs down a new voice joined the conversation. "You called her?" Voldemort stated. "What do you mean, you called her? No insane, deranged, half-Dementor controls my Deatheaters."

"I didn't call one of your useless Deatheaters. My object was to survive, not bring in more help to get me killed. I called your Elite. Specifically the one Elite I knew could and would help me."

"You have even less control over my Elite." Voldemort pointed out sharply. "And slim to none I would wager over that particular one."

Hershel was now leaning his left elbow on the arm of his chair, his head casually resting against his left hand. "Would you care for a demonstration?" he ask in an almost bored manner.

Talon attempted to bring the verbal sparing match to an end. "Hershel, this is getting us nowhere. Our time to find and stop this wizard could be very limited."

Hershel seemed to consider his former partner's words, then nodded slowly. "It could have been interesting though." he pointed out. "Perhaps another day, Mr. Riddle." he added, turning to face Voldemort. "Perhaps I shall pay a visit to one of your lairs."

"Your presence would be a minor irritation to me. Nothing more." Voldemort sneered back at the man, snapping back at what he considered the improper use of his name.

"Really?" Hershel actually smiled at the taunt, something Orion knew was a warning flag with Hershel. "I suppose we'll just have to see then. But tell me, how much use will it be for you to be the leader of a pack of screaming lunatics?" The smile slowly spread. "Or, as I have heard tell, are you already?"

"And you are more than welcome to try, you sad, pathetic excuse of a creature. My Deatheaters would make even better sport of you than these others did, with the sole exception they will be sure to finish the job."

Orion was sure the taunt would strike home with Hershel. But the man instead merely took to studying his nails for a moment. "Or perhaps I'll end up doing the Ministry a favor," he replied. "Once I'm done with your Deatheaters, it shouldn't be much trouble for them to herd a pack of mindless, drooling idiots to Azkaban."

"If your so sure of your abilities, Bennett," Voldemort shot back, "you'd have come long before now. You were once an Auror, weren't you?"

Orion could practically feel the air in the room drop several degrees. Knowingly or not, Voldemort had pressed the wrong button with Hershel.

"An Unspeakable even." Voldemort went on, unheeding of the look Orion gave him to veer off his present course of attack. "But it seemed the Ministry had issues with keeping you in that position, didn't they? My understanding was that they couldn't control you any better than you could control yourself. So they dismissed you from your post."

Orion waited for the explosion, sure as he was it was coming. But after several seconds he chanced a quick glance at Hershel. The man was still sitting in his chair, apparently making no move at all in retaliation to Voldemort's taunt.

That was worse.

One thing Orion knew all too well about his father's former partner, he never forgot or forgave a slight against him. In the room, Orion would have had a chance of heading off any attack Hershel threw at Voldemort. Not knowing where or when it would come made it that much more difficult to deflect.

"Gentlemen." Dumbledore spoke up. "Fighting among ourselves gets us nowhere. To defeat this wizard, we must stay united. If we are not, we will undoubtedly fail in our goal."

"Your goals are your own, Dumbledore." Hershel commented in a low tone that echoed his physically well masked emotions. "I am no part of this venture of yours."

Orion turned to the man. "This wizard's people came to your house and nearly killed you. You're telling me you have no feelings about that one way or the other?"

Hershel slowly turned towards the younger man. "I will deal with these vermin in my own way." He replied with a deceptive calmness. "And in my own time."

"Then why are you here?"

"I am here at Dumbledore's request."

Orion tried to hide his surprise, He was sure it had been his father who had coaxed the man to help them. To his knowledge, Hershel owed nothing to Dumbledore. And Hershel Bennett was not well known for trading favors for free, as he himself could well attest.

But Dumbledore was eager to get the meeting back on its track without further delays. "As was already pointed out, Mr. Bennett is the only victim of one of these attacks to have actually survived it. He, therefore, is an invaluable source of information about them. He has agreed to help us by describing as much about these people as he can. Something that may prove very useful to us later on."

"I'm afraid you over-estimate my contribution, Dumbledore." Hershel replied. "Most of my time during the attack was not spent taking notes. I was fighting for my life against these people, not interviewing them."

"Anything at all you can tell us may help." the Headmaster prompted. "Please."

Hershel sighed as he settled back in his chair, fixing his attention on some area behind Dumbledore's desk. "They came near nightfall, but it was still light out. So they had little concern of being seen. Either that or they didn't care. Either way, they were not lacking in confidence in their attack. Nor was it a poorly planned assault. My attackers knew what they were up against and they came well prepared. They countered most of my defenses and eventually managed to breech all of them."

"Why didn't you call the Dementors?" Orion ask.

"I told you. These people were well prepared. First they caught me off guard by a direct frontal attack. They then isolated me from any help. They cast a spell that prevented me from calling for any help. The only call I managed to get past the ward they constructed was the one to Katlin. How, I don't know. I didn't even know if she heard me until I suddenly realized my attackers were beating a hasty retreat."

"Wait a minute." Orion put in. "They were leaving as we arrived?"

Hershel gave a slight nod. "Katlin came in the front door almost as the last of them left."

"Why?"

Hershel's head turned to the younger man. "What?"

"Why?" Orion repeated. "Why would they leave just as we arrived?"

Hershel seemed to consider the point. "I had never thought of it that way." he admitted slowly. "But as soon as you arrived, from my calculations, they knew you were there. And the leaders of the group sounded an instant retreat. They couldn't, in fact, get out of the house fast enough that night."

"But why? That makes no sense. We were just two people. It couldn't have been fear. If they weren't afraid of you, why would they fear us?"

Hershel's brow furrowed deeply across his forehead as he considered the question again. Finally he turned his eyes back to the younger man.

"I don't know." he replied finally.

"Well we'd bloody well best find out." Orion stated. "Because whatever it was they were afraid of, it may be our one weapon against them."

**Q&A**

**FAMILY LIFE**

AJ-PlayswithFyre:

Several reviews here.

Personally, I'm surprised not more people caught that one. It was one of my better lines in this story.

I loved writing that chapter. It was purely for fun and I had a lot working on it.

I don't know what it is about my stories and computer classes, but they seem to be read in there a lot.

Thanks for reading.

**FAMILY RELATIONS**

MoonyPadfootJr:

**Great chapter, as per usual, but I was wondering and maybe I missed it... What are the kids names that you mentioned earlier in this chapter, and are they Kaitlins and Orions? Sorry I'm a bit slow.. lol**

Whose the children actually are hasn't come into the story yet...or better, that story hasn't been posted yet. It's a semi-cute little piece called In The Family Way.

As for the children themselves, they are Thomas (the oldest at the grand old age of 16), whose sole goal in life seems to be to teach Orion and Katlin that raising a teenager really is the same as trying to nail Jello to a tree.

Then comes the first girl, Lucy, who is 14 and is everything a teenaged girl should be. In other words, she is moody, temperamental, believes most boys are carries of some horrible disease and should be avoided at all costs, does not have nearly enough cloths, has parents who will simply never understand, and needs a larger allowance and the right to date by next Friday or the world will likely end.

Next comes Justin, who is 13 and idolizes his older brother. If Thomas is in the middle of it, Justin isn't far behind.

Then there is Vincent, who is 8, and is basically happier sitting in a corner with a book than just about anything in the whole world. Of the five, it is Vincent who takes to Bo the best, and vice-versa.

Lastly we have the baby of the group, little Katy, who is all of three and very proud of it, thank you very much.

I hope that helps you out, Dear.

Skahducky:

**What happened to Hershel? Is this part of the plan to kill Orion? The Death Eaters probably know about Katlin's opinion of Hershel, and since they know that Orion and Katlin are together on some level and Orion considers Hershel an uncle, they might figure that Orion would come with Katlin to help him. Perhaps the plan is wait until they leave with Hershel so they can attack while Orion is distracted with keeping Hershel safe? Did the wizard from the north cause the attack?**

Also, why isn't Voldemort telling Katlin his plan about Orion? He doesn't know that they're married and really in love with each other, so why would he hold back?

**It was nice to get to see Orion and Katlin's kids. Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

What happened to Hershel? I thought that was obvious, Dear. He got the you-know-what kicked out of him. And in all honesty, it wasn't a fair fight. It was fifteen to one. To be fair, Hershel should have let them go find a few more, then come back. I mean, it did take them the better side of an hour to get him down.

Was the attack on Hershel part of Voldemort's plan to kill Orion? No. Voldemort had nothing to do with that, as this chapter showed. That attack was planned and carried out by the wizard in the north (to answer your second question), not the Deatheaters. Liked your reasoning though. Very well though out theory.

Actually, very few people know about Katlin's connection to Hershel (Well, a few more after this chapter, but what they hey!). Until this chapter, they were Hershel, Katlin, Orion, and Dumbledore. No one else.

Why is Voldemort holding back? Well, that's actually due to a little background that probably slipped by. It was in the story, but not in any bold type or anything. More of one of those 'between the lines' things. The point is, Voldemort doesn't trust Katlin right now. HE isn't sure where her loyalties lay and hasn't for a very long time. At this time Katlin is more of a 'free agent' than anything. She still leads the Elite and the Deatheaters in Voldemort's stead, but she has a few issues with Voldemort's policies as of late. In the past few years since his attack on Harry as a baby, she has watched the man she loved and admired so much slowly change. (Surely being hit by the backlash of a killing curse has got to scramble a few brain cells, no?) She has watched him become a cold, ruthless man bent on one goal. To kill what to her is an innocent child. And so to occupy her time while she watches to see where this goes, she stays with the Deatheaters, watches out for Voldemort, tries to keep him a bit more in line, raise her family, and still have dinner on the table by seven, even if it is take-out that night.

Glad you liked the kids. For a more detailed listing, see the answer above.

CelticHeiressFiona:

Thank you, Dear.

MasterLupin:

**Yes jumps for joy I out thought you hahahahah. Ok now that I have that out of my system. As it is we don't have enough info on who attacked Hershel. So I am going to asume that it play to the bigger plot of the misteries man in the north. I will need the next chapter however to make another prediction.  
About the authors notes. FFN stated awhile ago( back in the summer I think, ahh summer...) that authors may nolonger creat chapters of just authors notes. I belive that they are still alowed in a chapter however.**

Fair is fair, Dear. You earned your gold star (). Wow! Haven't given one of those out in ages!

OK, you have your next chapter. Let have that prediction.

Well now, that's what confuses me. I have never put up a chapter of just Author's Notes. I did do one once of just review answers and got my hand slapped for that. What buggers me is I ask for why my account was frozen and FFN never answered, so I have no idea what I did wrong. It was suggested my Author's Notes ran long in one chapter and someone complained. I suppose I will never know exactly what the infraction was since FFN won't tell me.

All reviews are as of 03/12/2006.

And remember;

You know that indestructible black box on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Not much to say except sorry about missing so many weekends.

Also, I have to comment on one question that came up this time about who the people attacking Hershel were actually trying to get away from. I have to say you guys amazed me this time. I thought it was fairly obvious who the attackers were afraid of. But since I once again seem to have been too clever for my own good, let me run this little hint by you. Let's look at who was there. You all named nearly everybody as a possible suspect but ONE. Who was the person you ignored, folks?

Think about that for me.

Other than that, just Happy Easter, Passover, or whatever suits,

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: AMBUSH**

Arabella was just passing through the main hallway late in the evening when she caught sight of Orion heading out the front doors of the castle.

"Orion." She called, heading over to where he now stood. "Where are you going at this hour?"

"Hagrid told Dumbledore he thought he saw a couple of dark robes lurking about the lake." He replied. "I'm just off to have a look."

"By yourself? Is that safe?"

Orion favored her with one of his more charming smiles. "I'll tell you what," he answered, "if I find any, I'll wait about until they go round up a few of their mates, just so it's even, all right?"

Arabella gave him a worried smile. "Orion, I'm serious. I could come with you."

"No. You stay here. If there is trouble and they get by me, I want to know there's a second line waiting for them."

"Just be careful."

Orion gave her a wink. "I always am."

Orion quickly slipped out the doors and headed out to the lake, keeping as much under cover as he could as he made his way to the other side furthest from the castle. But halfway there he saw a dark shape move off to his right. Not wanting to give an opponent even a first chance at him, Orion fired off a shot.

"Blast it, Black!" A low voice hissed at him out of the darkness. "Put that thing away!"

Orion instantly recognized the voice of his superior. "Orin!" He whispered back. "What are you doing out here?"

"Trying to be inconspicuous." The other man replied, stepping out of the shadows. "Unlike someone else who obviously prefers to announce his presence to half the forest. Did you miss class the day they were teaching covert surveillance, Black?"

"I prefer not to wait until I can see their name tags, 'sir'."

Bale was about to answer his agent when a streak of light cut between them and erupted into sparks against a tree a few feet from them.

"Did you happen to get that one's name?" Bale asked calmly.

Orion barely pulled them both out of the way of the next shot. "I'll be sure to ask."

The two men instantly separated, each taking a different direction to cover. Bale wasn't his partner, but Orion could work with the man almost as well. It took a bit more concentration, and a little more vigilance, but Orion was grateful for the man's presence just the same.

Bale had likely already put the call out for assistance. But it would take a while to assemble a team and apparate them to the area. So for the time being, the castle would have to rely on he and Bale for its protection.

Orion had watched the direction Bale had headed off in, so he had a fairly good idea what area his superior was covering. He would take the other and make as much of a clean sweep of it as he could before meeting up with Bale again on the other side of the lake.

Several hundred feet and three Deatheaters later, Orion found what he was looking for. A lone Deatheater behind a tree, watching the area in front of him while stealing occasional glances behind.

Orion watched the man for a few seconds. It was all the time he had to make his assessment of the situation. But it was also all he needed. The man was focusing most of his attention in front of him. He was looking for a target. But the occasional glace he kept giving his back stated all too clearly to Orion that that front wasn't being covered. The Deatheater had to protect it himself. That meant there couldn't be too many of them.

Orion timed himself by how long the man watched his front before glancing behind him. After a few times, seeming fairly consistent, Orion made his move, coming at the Deatheater from behind while the man watched his front.

The Deatheater was just turning his head to check behind him when an arm wrapped itself tightly about his neck and a wand tip dug into his neck.

"One move!" Orion hissed at him. "Just one, and you're dead."

The man struggled as much as he could in the iron grip the Auror had on him. "You'll kill me anyway." He stated.

"Maybe." Orion agreed. "Maybe not. Keep struggling and it's a guarantee."

The man seemed to consider his options, then stopped struggling.

"How many?" Orion demanded.

"Thirty." Came the answer without hesitation.

The wand tip dug deeper.

"You're lying. You wouldn't have been so interested in protecting your arse if there were that many. Now once more. How! Many?"

The man tried to evade the pain of the wooden shaft pressing ever deeper into his neck, but the more he tried, the harder Orion pressed it.

"Ea...eight.' He finally croaked out.

Orion pressed harder. "Keep going."

"Four here. F...four on the other side."

Orion released his hold a bit. That felt more like the truth.

"Eight?" He questioned. "You can with eight Deatheaters to attack the castle?" That didn't make any sense to him at all.

The man shook his head. "Not for an attack." He barely managed to get out.

Orion jabbed the tip of his wand back into the man's neck. "Then what?"

Orion barely had time to react to the voice behind him.

"An ambush."

Orion dropped his hold on his victim and dodged to the side as he saw the flash of metal behind him. But not quickly enough to avoid the blade entirely as it cut into the upper arm of his robe. Grabbing the arm of the man with the knife as he swiftly moved behind him, and turning the knife about, he used his whole body weight to shove the man forward, the knife being driven directly into the Deatheater. Yanking the man back, Orion threw the body to the side and quickly turned his attention to the man still leaning against the tree.

Caught between the impact of the body from behind and the trunk of the tree, the second Deatheater had had the wind knocked out of him, giving Orion a few precious seconds to grab the disoriented man and lay him out with one solid blow to the face.

Dropping the man to the ground, Orion pulled back. That made five Deatheaters, leaving three going after Bale.

But Bale hadn't been the target. It had been him. And they had failed.

Orion was about to continue on to the rendezvous point when a soft 'pop' next to him caught his attention. A few feet away a man in black robes appeared in the darkness. His stance was set for an attack until he saw Orion.

"Oy! You taking all the fun tonight?" The man complained as he walked over to where Orion stood over the two Deatheaters.

"Wasn't much fun." Orion told him. "Ambush. But as usual," he added, glancing down at the two Deatheaters, "they missed."

"Had dinner with me missus interrupted for this?" The Auror stated in disgust. "Right waste of my time."

"Not entirely, Rich." Orion stated, giving the first body a slight kick, causing it to moan softly. "That one's still alive. And he's just full of information tonight."

"Right talker, is he?" The other stated, reaching down and pulling the man up. "Well, that's good, mate." He told the Deatheater. "We got a whole department full of people who just can't wait to listen to what you have to say. And some of them will even help you with the hard parts. Here," the man stated, glancing over at Orion and indicating his torn sleeve, "you all right, One?"

Orion glanced up at the man. "I'm fine. Take him on back. I want to find Bale and then we'll head on back."

"Right'o." The man called back, then quickly disapparated.

Orion shook his head with a small smile, then headed towards where he was suppose to meet Bale. The evening was getting entirely too warm for him, and he wanted nothing more than to get back to the castle and slip into bed.

Several minutes later a voice called out of the darkness. "Black!"

Orion had heard the group long before he saw them. And from the sounds, there wasn't much left to do. As he approached, an Auror was heading off with a Deatheater shoved in front of him towards another group of men waiting to disapparate.

"Report." Came the voice of his superior.

"It was an ambush." Orion replied in a suddenly very tired voice. "This whole thing was a decoy. The attack was set up for the southern front. One distracted while the other attacked. Rich took the distracter in already."

"All right. We're done here." Bale called over his shoulder to the others. "Return to the Department an assemble for debrief."

"You want me as well?" Orion asked.

Bale turned back to his agent an gave him a hard look over. "You head back to the castle." Bale stated. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Just tired." Orion replied.

"You're more than tired. You're white as a sheet. Martin!" Bale shouted.

A short medi-wizard quickly hurried over to Bale's side.

"Sir?"

"Check him out, Martin."

That was the last thing Orion remembered hearing before he collapsed.

**Q&A**

**FEVER**

Angelfire:

**NICE! I know there's still plenty of this fic left but my fingers were itching to type out a review to you now. I'm SO loving how this is going, how you've got the characters within their own personalities and interracting-the Snape memory between him and Lupin before Lupin became a Marauder was clever! I would've never thought of something like that! Hehe, and I had a sneaky feeling that it was those cookies that Harry got earlier in the summer...it'll be very interesting to see what happens to that 'baker' once Sirius, Remus, and Snape get ahold of him...clicks on next chapter**

**Ha! I knew it was those evil sugar cookies! Evil...I think that after this, I'll never eat another sugar cookie again in my life...;p or, at least not without eyeing it suspiciously...LOL! - I would've never thought I'd say this before, but I actually really do like the Snape/Lupin friendship deal that you've got going on here...it...fits...I think that's thet best way to describe it really. And bad Dursley's for shooting Remus...though, I have the feeling that they'll eventually get what's coming to them...ponders as to what their punishment could be hehe, I always love reading fics that have the Dursley's getting their due for how badly they've treated Harry...-v ish off to read more**

I'm glad you enjoyed the relationship between Snape and Lupin. I always thought those two had it in them to have a very good friendship. A little un-canon, but what-the-hey. I am glad you are enjoying the story overall and I hope it lives up to your expectations. Fever remains one of my reader favorites.

**FAMILY RELATIONS**

Skahducky:

**I wonder if the wizards who attacked Hershel knew it was Katlin and Orion. Perhaps they just set up a barrier to let them know when anybody came near, and since it's Hershel, they probably figured it was Dementors.**

If that's not the case, though, then Orion's in an odd position, not that he or Katlin know it. Voldemort wants him dead but the wizard in the north doesn't want his people anywhere near him.

When will Harry come back into the story? His role as a major character ended as soon as the whole adoption issue ended. Will Sirius ever get his body back? If he doesn't, Sirius probably wouldn't agree to adopting Harry just out of fear of Voldemort taking over and hurting Harry. It's obvious his motive at the moment isn't for Harry to be killed, but that may change.

Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

Ummm..., in regards to your first question as to who the attackers were trying to get away from, see 'Author's Notes'. You guys missed big time here.

Who said the wizard in the north doesn't want his people near Orion? I don't think I ever said that. Especially since Orion is tied up in the wizard's plans (indirectly).

Harry will be back in the story soon. I just need to establish a few things first. Look for him in another chapter or so. Once he's back, he's back to stay. I don't think he takes much of a 'story break' after this one.

Now how can I answer that? Whether or not Sirius gets his body back is a large part of the story, Dear. So I can't say much. However, if he does or doesn't, since the story arc has another story to go (Family Ties), I would guess it's safe to say this story does end all nice and neat.

Absolutely! The last thing Voldemort wants right now is for Harry to be hurt in any way. Harry is, after all, Voldemort's only key to finding the wizard in the north.

CelticHeiressFiona:

I do try to update about once a week. But its been a tough couple of weeks for me time-wise.

MasterLupin:

**hmm... Well I can't make a prediction persay... but I belive that the reason the attackers left was because they did not want to risk one of them being caught and potentaly giving up information that might give away thier mistery aspect which works in thier favor. However Voldermort most defently suspects somthing about Katlin and Orion now.**

Weeelllllllllllllllllllll, sort of. They were most definitely worried about being caught. You just have 'by who' wrong.

Ummmmmm..., no. Still utterly clueless. Keep in mind that Voldemort accepts the relationship because he believes it is a 'sex for secrets' trade off. Therefore, seeing the two of them together is not surprising to him at all. And seeing Orion drooling all over his head Elite only serves to reinforce that belief in that he sees Orion as so utterly smitten with Katlin, he'll say or do just about anything to get time with her.

I have played around with the idea of having him find out accidentally, or just having Katlin tell him straight out. But that scene never plays out very pretty. Things exploding. People dying. Very messy.

Now, having read the Author's Notes, I'm sure you have a theory for me now.

Reviews are as of 04/15/2006.

And remember;

For all you working, happy tax day. For all of you not working, you're time will come.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Very reticent today.

All I'd like to say is that you'll understand the title to this chapter in about another chapter or so. Just remember, I never rename my chapters. They stay with what I first call them.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER NINETEEN: BEFORE 'THE BARGAIN'**

Voldemort sat in his apartment at the castle listening to the sounds around him. Surely something should have happened by now.

He congratulated himself for a last minute bit of foresight before Brimms left the lair to amend his orders. Rather than kill Black outright, Voldemort had handed Brimms a knife and told him all he had to do was cut the man with it. He was not, in fact, to do anything more than that. If he harmed the Unspeakable past a cut only deep enough to draw blood, Voldemort promised the man he would not like the way he would die.

With that problem solved, Voldemort had sent Brimms and his group of followers off, allowing his second problem to solve itself with their departure.

What to do with a pack of disloyal Deatheaters.

Voldemort had little doubt the Ministry Unspeakables would make short work of them. Magic! He would wager Black himself could have dealt with all eight of them alone. And as such, they were no great lost to him. Let the Ministry have them. They wouldn't learn much from them.

Voldemort settled back in his chair, steepling his fingers in front of him as he continued to listen. A faint sound reached his ears.

And so it started.

Voldemort got slowly to his feet, grabbing the cane next to the chair as he made his way to the front of the castle. He stopped at a banner rail several flights above the main hall. A spot which allowed for an excellent view of the entire entryway.

The front doors of the castle opened with a loud crash, followed almost immediately by a rush of voices as several people entered the foyer, escorting a stretcher with them as they went. The first person he recognized was Orin Bale, head of the Ministry Unspeakables. There was a man Voldemort would sorely love to see laying dead before him. How many of his Deatheaters had Bale sent to Azkaban? One hundred? Two? Three? The man was a positive menace. And now he was barging into the front doors of the castle, shouting ordered at everyone. Didn't the man understand that true power was not having to yell at someone to get their attention?

Next Voldemort saw Arabella as she hovered alongside the stretcher.

Ah, now there was an interesting woman. She could be as comforting as a spring morning, or as deadly as a female bear protecting her cubs. And in either instance the woman intrigued him as no one else. She had extended a certain amount of courtesy and kindness to him, but Voldemort suspected that was more out of concern for Black than her displaying her true feelings where he was concerned.

Voldemort quickly turned his attention to the form on the stretcher.

Black.

Good. Brimms managed to at least get the job done before getting himself captured or killed. Voldemort didn't much care which was the man's fate.

Everything would now fall neatly into place with Black's life hanging in the balance. Only two thing could still upset his plans.

One was Dumbledore's potions master. Snape was no fool. Voldemort knew that much. As did he know Snape might well be able to decipher the poison in a few hours. But he would not be able to unravel it all in time to save the man's life. Of that Voldemort had made sure.

The second possibility entered the foyer behind the others in a flurry of green robes.

Dumbledore.

Voldemort wasn't such a fool as to underestimate this man either. Many of those in the castle and in the Ministry might view the man as a doddering old oddball. But Voldemort had crossed swords with the old man too many times to let his guard down around him.

Voldemort watched as the old wizard suddenly pulled up to a stop as the others continued on across the foyer and cast a speculative stare up at where the dark lord stood. Voldemort returned the old man's gaze with as much indifference as he could. And equally did he try to appear to disregard the whole scene as he turned and went back to his rooms. But another set of eyes on him stopped him in his tracks.

Down below in the foyer, almost hidden among the others, the light from the foyer torches reflected off a pair of glasses.

Harry.

Voldemort frowned slightly. What was the boy doing amidst all this?

Figg probably brought the boy with her. He was seriously starting to wonder if the boy could even use the loo without his over-protective Godmother following him in.

The boy's stare found his for a fraction of a second before he turned his head and hurried after the group. But that was all it took for Voldemort to read the suspicion in the young wizard's face.

Maybe Dumbledore wasn't the one he needed to watch out for the most.

Not quite an hour later Voldemort got the summons to the Headmaster's office. He arrived to find most of the group already present. Snape, Arabella, Harry, and Dumbledore, seated as always behind his desk.

"I would assume this has to do with Mr. Black?" Voldemort volunteered as he took the seat left for him next to Arabella.

"Mr. Black was attacked this evening..."

"...by Deatheaters!" Arabella supplied with enough fire to light a torch as she stared at the man next to her.

Voldemort returned her stare with little concern. "Was he?" he asked blandly, before turning his attention back to the old wizard. "And we know this for certain?"

"Orin Bale confirmed that he and Orion were ambushed at the lake. The Ministry captured several of the ones responsible. All Deatheaters."

"I see." was all Voldemort offered as an answer.

"You see!" Arabella all but came out of her chair. "You see! That's all you have to say about this?"

"What would you like me to say? I'm sorry?" Voldemort scoffed at her. "I doubt I could do that with a straight face."

"Deatheaters did this, Voldemort!" Arabella continued. "Your Deatheaters!"

"Ah!" Voldemort feigned understanding. "Now I see. Deatheaters are involved so I must be too?"

Arabella stared back at him, daring the man to deny it.

"For what reason?" he ask, just as unconcerned. "Or better, how? What do you think I did? Walked into the lair in Black's body and ordered a room full of Deatheaters to, in effect, kill my brother?" Voldemort turned his attention back to the man before him. "Oh yes, I can see that happening."

"Deny you ordered him killed." she dared him. "Deny it to my face."

"Despite the fact I have just told you how impossible that would be," Voldemort replied in an exacerbated sigh, "I will not deny it. Because," he added quickly, cutting off Arabella's next statement, "There have been standing orders to kill Orion Black for years. It's hardly news. And if anything, that should prove my innocence in this. I have no use for the man dead right now. If I had any control over the Deatheaters, I would have rescinded that order. But deny that I have ordered him killed recently. Yes, I deny it."

Arabella simply stared back at the man, unsure of what to say at that point.

"Now," Voldemort stated, turning back to Dumbledore, "have you discovered anything about the poison as yet? If it was Deatheaters that attacked Black I might know something of the poison they used."

"I am hoping that you might." Dumbledore replied, folding his hands on his desk. "As yet, we know only that he was poisoned. And that it was administered through the cut to his arm. We found traces of the poison on his robe sleeve. Unfortunately, a great many poisons are administered that way. So we haven't narrowed it down much."

"Is he awake?"

"Not since we brought him to the castle."

Voldemort feigned a frown. "That is unfortunate. A great deal can be learned talking to the victim of such things. I suppose this will now be turned over to your potions master?"

"Severus has already been working on the poison. I am hoping you might assist him in discovering its origin."

"Assist you?" Voldemort asked, his brow creasing in another frown. "Why would I do that?"

Arabella turned back to him. "Why wouldn't you?"

Voldemort turned to her. "My dear woman, you have just sat there and accused me of doing everything to contribute to Mr. Black's condition except administering the poison myself. And given a few moments I am sure you could work that into the story somehow. Past that," he added, turning back to Dumbledore, "I came to this castle in good faith. I brought you information you did not have and have openly shared it with you. All I asked in return was cooperation. Working together towards a goal that would serve us all. True, I have had to take some unorthodoxed means to get to this point, but I have harmed no one in the process. You might even recall I saved Ms. Figg and Potter's lives at great risk to my own. Fighting against these Deatheaters I supposedly have so much control over. And yet here I sit, still under suspicion, still having my motives questioned, still receiving no cooperation on the part of any of you." he added, turning back to Arabella. "You'll forgive me if I am not feeling exactly charitable right now. So, left with no other means at my disposal, allow me to give you exactly what you seem to expect of me, which always seems to be the worst. You want my help? Very well, I will give it. But it comes at a price. Should I assist Snape in unraveling this poison's secrets, you will give me the help I need to find this wizard. Help which includes the use of his secretkeeper." Voldemort got to his feet with the help of the cane. "Do let me know what you decide." he added, before leaving them all in stunned silence.

Harry sat through the rest of the meeting but could recall little of what was said. In the end Dumbledore stated they would wait to see what Snape could find out about the poison. There was no point in accepting or refusing Voldemort's offer until they knew better what they were dealing with.

Leaving the Headmaster's office, Harry wandered about the corridor's of the castle for several hours, trying to sort out what to do. But he always came back to the same conclusion. Sirius had told him not to help Voldemort. Not for anything. And as that he probably knew things about Voldemort's plans that they didn't, he had to have his reasons for that order.

His wandering eventually brought him to the owlery, where he situated himself at one of the windows, staring out over the hills around the castle grounds.

"Great magic!" A voice stated behind him, "Can it actually be that the boy is allowed out on his own?"

Harry spun about to see Voldemort standing behind him.

"I was actually musing on that very point today." The dark lord went on. "Wondering if your overly protective godmother ever let you go anywhere on your own."

"What are you doing here?" Harry ask suspiciously. "One hardly expects to find someone up in this tower."

"One could ask, then, what you are doing here?"

"Thinking. Your turn."

"I'm here to see Repferd."

"Repferd?"

Voldemort extended his arm and immediately a large black owl flew from up in the rafters and alighted on his outstretched arm. "My owl." Voldemort explained casually.

Harry stared at the man now playing with the imposingly large bird as though it were a harmless pet, but said nothing. It still un-nerved him a bit to have to look at his godfather's face and remind himself that this was not Sirius.

"That's all you have to say to me, Harry? I'm impressed, if not surprised."

Harry turned back to the window for a moment. Oh, he had plenty to say to Voldemort. "You planned this, didn't you?" He stated. "All of it. Just so I would be forced to help you."

Voldemort looked completely unimpressed with the accusation.

"So you would be forced to help me? No, Harry. That isn't my intention at all. And as for Orion Black, he has been on my 'to do' list for a very long time, in case you didn't hear. The fact that my Deatheaters were able to successfully complete the task now was purely coincidence, I assure you."

"But they didn't." Harry stated defiantly. "They didn't kill him. He's still alive."

"More's the pity. Anything else you want to get off your chest?"

"To tell you you haven't won. You can't force me to help you. Sirius told me not to. Not for anything in this world."

"I already told you, I am not trying to 'force you' to help me. And maybe your godfather simply is taking advantage of a most fortunate situation."

Harry frowned up at the man. "What do you mean?"

"It's no news to anyone, Potter, that there is a considerable amount of bad blood between your godfather and his older brother. Maybe he's simply found a way to solve his problem."

Harry was almost ready to give Voldemort his exact opinion of his conclusion when a thought struck him. With a satisfied smile he turned back to Voldemort.

"I hardly think that's possible." He replied. "Orion got hurt after Sirius told me not to help you."

"Well then," Voldemort answered, "perhaps we should check what his opinion of the situation is now? But tell me, what do you think his answer would be now? Help me..., or let his brother die?"

"Let me talk to him and we'll find out. And I swear I'll do whatever Sirius says."

Voldemort seemed to give the offer a good deal of thought before he turned back to Harry with a small smile.

"I think not." He replied.

"Why?"

"Because I think it's time you started making decisions for yourself, Potter. Not running to your godfather to let him wipe your nose for you whenever you need it. I mean, is it really such a hard choice, boy?"

"You're refusing because you know what Sirius will say. He still won't want me to help you."

"You're so sure of that are you?" Voldemort replied with the same small smile. "Then go to the infirmary with the others, Potter. Go back and watch your uncle die. The poison is very interesting to watch do its work. I think even your Potions Master will agree to that. And you tell him to enjoy his search. But he won't find the answer in time."

Harry stood with Arabella next to Orion's bed as Snape worked several spells. Throughout the entire process, Orion never moved once. His body simply lay in the bed covered in a deep sweat.

"Well?" Arabella finally asked. "Can't you tell us anything yet?"

Snape put down the vial he was currently holding and turned to her.

"I can tell you several things, Ms. Figg." He stated quietly. "Where exactly would you like for me to begin?"

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's been poisoned."

"We KNOW that, you pompous PRAT!" Arabella yelled at him. "What poison? You're suppose to be a Potions Master! Surely you can tell us that!"

Snape looked as though he wasn't quite sure what to say in response. But he quickly wrapped his dignity back around him and assumed a pose of someone giving a lecture to a room full of students.

"Black has been infected with a poison known as Nisarium. It is a particularly nasty little poison, since it not only kills its victim, but it does it in very slow, painful stages. The victim can quite literally last for months, wracked by seizures while he is subjected to constant pain. Eventually the poison will render them into a type of catatonic state, where they can't do anything to help themselves. But they can still feel. They can still think. They still know what the end will be. And even that isn't the least bit pleasant. The victim usually dies in agony. Locked within their body, convulsed in pain, and unable to so much as whimper. It is not a particularly pleasant way to go."

"Voldemort said you would find it interesting to watch." Harry put in flatly.

Snape turned his stare to the boy standing with his godmother on the other side of the bed.

"He was very much mistaken." Snape stated. "I find very little about this 'interesting'."

"There's a cure for this." Arabella said hopefully.

"Currently, I'm not sure." Snape informed them. "I'll have to look through some old texts in the library."

"Voldemort said you won't find the answer in time." Harry stated abruptly in the same flat tone.

Snape turned back to him with a very interested stare. "Really? Did he say why as well?"

Harry shook his head. "He only said you wouldn't"

Snape sneered at the comment. "I have months to look. And I can think of no one in this whole castle more qualified than I am to find this cure."

As if in answer to his comments, the body on the bed suddenly went into a seizure, shaking violently as the mouth froze open in a silent scream.

Snape quickly pulled his wand back out and worked several spells in quick succession. Slowly the body began to relax and finally collapsed back on the bed. Snape continued to work several more spells before stepping back a few feet from the bed as he rested his chin on his hand, staring at the body before him.

"Well," he said in a slow draw, "that explains why Voldemort said I wouldn't find the cure in time as well as why he thought I would find it interesting to watch."

Arabella turned to him.

"What?"

"Voldemort apparently has modified the poison. Altered it's properties so that the effects on the victim are faster."

Arabella paled slightly. "What does that mean for Orion?"

"It means that Black isn't going to have to suffer months before he dies. At the rate he is deteriorating, he likely won't last out the week."

"And why did Voldemort think you would find this interesting to watch?" She asked in a low, careful tone.

Snape stood for a few moments staring at the man in the bed.

"When I was with the Deatheaters," he replied finally, "this is one of the things I was charged with working on. Altering the properties of certain poisons. To make them faster and deadlier. I thought it a harmless pursuit since we were never very successful. Changing any poisons ingredients even by a fraction usually rendered them ineffective. But quite by accident one of the men I was working with stumbled on Narsarium. A little known and rarely used poison due to it's difficulty to brew correctly. He discovered that by slowly and carefully altering the ingredients, the poison maintained it's effectiveness while becoming the poison Voldemort wanted. He told me about his discovery before going to Voldemort. This was shortly before I left the Deatheaters. When I left, I took his notes and destroyed them, so that no one else would know what the fool had discovered."

"But he apparently told Voldemort just the same."

Snape turned a cold, black stare to Arabella. "Voldemort didn't learn of this poison from that fool."

"Why not?"

"Because I made sure no one would."

Arabella fell abruptly silent, paling slightly as Snape's meaning settled on her.

Snape gave her a small smile without a hint of warmth in it. "Some people really are too clever for they're own good, I've found. But," he added, "apparently the idiot either had other notes he left somewhere that Voldemort found, or some other fool fell on the same idea."

"But surely there's a way to stop it." Arabella nearly pleaded.

Snape turned back to her with the same cold, dark stare.

"That remains to be seen. But at the very least I know where to start looking."

"Where?"

Snape gave her a pointed stare. "The poison is a creation of the dark arts. It is likely going to take very powerful dark magic to cure it."

Arabella barely stifled a small gasp as she turned back to Orion. "Merlin's Beard!" She exclaimed softly.

But Snape only gave her a small smile. "I doubt it's anything new to Black." He said shortly.

Harry turned a questioning look to his godmother.

"What's wrong with the cure being dark magic?" He asked.

Arabella turned to him with a concerned stare. "Once a person is touched by dark magic, it stays with them, Harry. You can't ever get rid of it."

"What does it do?"

"It depends a great deal on the person. Some it never effects at all. But they are always aware of it inside of them. For others, it eats away at them, eventually destroying them. Most Deatheaters, at some point in their lives, were touched by dark magic. Some fight it, but aren't strong enough to defeat it. Some eventually go insane, unable to accept that it has become a part of them. I've never met anyone who was able to completely drive it out."

Harry turned slowly back to the figure on the bed. "But Orion's an Auror. An Unspeakable. Surely if anyone was strong enough to defeat it..."

"And as I said," Snape stated, turning to Harry, "knowing him as I do, I doubt it would be anything new to Black."

Harry only stared back at his Potions teacher as Arabella quickly directed him out of the infirmary, saying something about it being time for lunch. But Harry didn't miss the look she gave Snape as she directed Harry away from him.

It was one of pure anger.

Q&A

CelticHeiressFiona:

Thank you, Dear. I'll try.

Skahducky:

**Wow, that's a short chapter! I guess that cut Orion got was deeper/more serious than he thought.**

I'll have to think more about who attached Hershel before I can come to a conclusive guess. My random guesses are Bo and Talon just because they're two characters whose presence I didn't give much thought to.

Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

The cut Orion received was indeed very serious. Enough so to kill him. And time is not working for him.

Well, you're on the right track.

Oh, and by the way, I inadvertantly sid last time in your Q&A that this story ended all nice and neat? That should have read 'doesn't'. Sorry.

Sweets:

Hi yea, Sweets. Wondered where you were.

Well, you are certainly busy. Ah yes, finals. I remember them with a shudder of fear.

I'm glad I could lend a hand in easing your tension a bit.

A lot of people had doubts about how this story was going to work out based on the teasers. I hope they are enjoying it as well and to some degree believe now that I really do know what I am doing.

All reviews are as of 04/23/2006.

And remember;

A blond calls the fire department and states her house is on fire.

The fire man asks, "Well, ma'am, how do we get to your house?"

"Well, duh!" replies the blond. "In the big red truck!"

(Apologies going out to my blond readers.)


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: I am so freaking excited!  
My fish just had babies. I have been trying for months to get these guys to produce with no success. But I just checked my tank and found about thirty of the little suckers swimming about.

Now, I know...they're guppies, and trying to breed guppies is sort of like trying to grow weeds. It ain't really that difficult. But I have not had any success in over a year.

I'm just so danged excited.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER TWENTY: ALL OF ME**

A lone figure apparated outside the gates of Hogwarts castle and slowly began to make its way up to the large front doors. It wrapped its long gray cloak about dark gray robes that caught the morning breeze and whipped the material about the legs of the figure as it walked.

At the front doors the figure stopped. For several long moments it stood facing the large doors. But finally it reached up and slipped back the hood of its robes. A cascade of dark auburn hair met a brisk rush of wind as it blew past, nearly obscuring the woman's face as she stared intently at the towering doors.

"I bring no harm to this place." She said solemnly as she stared up at them. "And the only pain I offer is that of my own heart."

Katlin reached forward and tried the door handle. But it held fast.

"And still you would stand against me." She whispered to the doors as she stepped back resolutely.

"Here, Miss!" A voice called out from behind her. "Would you be needin' help?"

Katlin turned slowly to see Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper, heading towards her. But the man slowed as he recognized her, finally stopping a few yards away from her.

"Oh." He said flatly. "It would be you then. Professor Dumbledore said you'd be coming by, Ms. Griss."

"It's Mrs. Black, actually." Katlin corrected the man, giving him a small smile. It was all she could manage under the circumstances. "I was told I would be allowed admittance to the castle."

"Ay. That's what the Headmaster said you was to be given."

Just then the front doors opened.

"Ah, Mrs. Black." Dumbledore greeted her cordially. "I was expecting you."

"I've come to see my husband." Katlin stated, keeping as much emotion out of her voice as she could. But her resolve weakened on the last word. "I just want to see him." She finished in a whisper.

"Of course." Dumbledore stepped aside and let her pass.

Katlin kept her eyes firmly fixed on the emerald robes as they proceeded ahead of her. They past absolutely no one else on the entire route through the castle. But as that the school term had not yet started, it wasn't really that unusual.

Eventually Dumbledore led her to a side door and opened it, stepping back to allow her to enter first.

The inside of the room was cold to her. And as silent as one would expect any empty room to be. But what caught her attention was that the room wasn't empty. One lone figure occupied the whole of the infirmary. Katlin fixed her attention on the figure in the bed as she entered the room, quickening her pace with every step as she approached him.

"Orion!" She suddenly cried out, rushing to the bedside.

Katlin immediately grabbed one of the pale, motionless hands in her's and held it to her as she stared down at her husband.

"Orion?" She cried softly, brushing the hand lightly against her tears. "Love, please hear me. Please answer."

Dumbledore stepped up quietly behind her.

"He's been unconscious for the past two days." He informed her.

"Why?" Katlin asked softly. "What have you found out about what is wrong with him?"

"So far only that he was poisoned." Dumbledore started to explain. "In an attack." He finished strategically.

But Katlin turned sharply back to him. "By Deatheaters." She stated firmly. "That is who did this to him? Deatheaters?"

Dumbledore paused, then slowly nodded. "Yes. By Deatheaters."

"Then why haven't you cured him?" She shot back. "Most of our poisons are known to you. You have a potions master here. Can't he cure a simple poison?"

"We have tried, Katlin." Dumbledore offered kindly. "But the poison has resisted any effort to stop it."

"Stop it?" She asked. "Stop it from doing what?" She turned quickly back to her husband's pale form. "What is it doing to him?"

Dumbledore paused again before he answered. "It is killing him."

Katlin jerked back around to face him. "Killing him?" Katlin stopped unexpectedly as a thought seemed to come to her. "Voldemort." She said hopefully. "Voldemort is here. Ask him for the cure."

"We have."

"And? Does he know it?"

"He wasn't very forthcoming with that information." Dumbledore explained carefully.

"He either does or he doesn't."

"He said he might be able to help. Nothing more."

"And?"

"It comes with a price."

"Price? What price?"

"One I can not pay."

"Why not?"

"It isn't mine to give, Katlin. What Voldemort wants is another's consent. And I can not give him that. It has to come from that person."

Katlin's eyes narrowed slowly. "What person?"

Dumbledore met her gaze without the slightest hesitation. "Harry Potter."

"Harry? What in the name of black magic does he want from Harry Potter? Except his life."

"It would seem Voldemort needs Harry's help to find another wizard..."

But Katlin suddenly cut him off.

"The wizard in the north." She stated, fitting the pieces together as fast as they were handed to her. "That is who Voldemort is trying to find. I know this. Why does he need Harry for this?"

"Harry seems to be a key of some sort to finding this man. A type of secretkeeper who has no knowledge himself of his role. But just the same, without Harry's cooperation, Voldemort can never locate this wizard."

"Then tell the boy to cooperate!"

"It has to be Harry's choice, Katlin." Dumbledore told her calmly. "He has to do it of his own free will."

"You have control over that boy, old man!" Katlin hissed at him. "Tell him to do it! Tell him to give Voldemort what he wants!"

"I have very little control over Harry's actions, Katlin." Dumbledore answered as calmly as ever. "And the one who does has already made his wishes known quite clearly."

"The one who does?"

"Sirius told Harry he was not to help Voldemort...under any circumstances." He added, glancing briefly at the still form on the bed.

Katlin looked startled, then angry. "He would let his own brother die because of this!"

Dumbledore said nothing.

"How can you stand by and let this happen? Voldemort I could see. Even understand. But you? You stand so righteously for your high ideals. Until when? Until they no longer suit you? Until they are inconvenient? And then you throw them aside in favor of your own grand plans for the world?"

Dumbledore stood silently for a moment before the Deatheater. "Harry must do this of his own free will, Katlin." He reiterated. "No one and nothing can influence him."

Katlin had turned back to Orion, taking her seat in the chair at his bedside.

"If my husband dies," she said quietly, "I promise you that someone will pay."

"Then I suggest you think very carefully on who that someone should be." Dumbledore replied.

For the rest of the day Katlin sat by Orion's bed, holding tightly onto his hand as she gently stroked his forehead. As many ways as she tried to look at the situation, she kept coming back to the same conclusion. In Voldemort's absence she had been in control of the majority of the Deatheaters. Only she could order such an attack. One on as high ranking a member of the Unspeakables as Orion was. But she had heard nothing of any such attack. Not even a whisper of one being planned. So it had to have happened quickly. A direct order given to those who carried it out.

Only one person could have given such an order and had it obeyed. Only one person could have superceded her authority.

Voldemort.

Katlin shuddered at the thought. If Voldemort had indeed ordered the attack, he had done it with the same single-mindedness that he did most things these days. Regardless of who was involved, of who might get hurt, of who his actions effected, the man did whatever suited his newfound grand schemes.

But what had he wanted from this? Surely not to kill her husband. Orion had been staying very low-key. Playing his part of the spy for the Deatheaters as well as could be expected. Voldemort could not have suspected anything was amiss.

Katlin continue to talked to Orion almost constantly. Trying to think of anything she could say that would get a response out of him. But most of her words came back to telling him how sorry she was for what had happened. An event she saw now almost solely as her fault.

"I'm so sorry, my Love." She whispered pleadingly to him as the evening began to settle in. "I didn't know. I swear that to you. I didn't know." A fresh stream of tears rolled down her cheeks as she pressed his hand against her chest and folded her arms across it. "I just didn't know. If I had...I would never have spoken to the others for him. I...I would have laughed at him. Trapped him in his own cleverness. In a body no one would recognize him in, or suspect..., or believe. I'd have left him. Left him to live out his days like that." Her tears came faster now even as she tried to fight them back. "But I didn't. And I helped him." She whispered in a sorrowful voice. "I helped him do this to you."

"Katlin, you didn't know." A soft voice interrupted her from behind.

Katlin stopped short. Her head snapping up at the sound of Dumbledore's voice. She pulled herself up until she was sitting straight-backed in the chair. Her hand still wrapped protectively about her husband's

"Go away, old man." She stated in a low, choked voice that was filled with her anger nonetheless. "You have nothing to say that I want to hear."

"Do you fear my words so much, Katlin?" Dumbledore addressed her back.

"I do not fear them at all."

"Then what is the harm in hearing me out?"

Katlin turned sharply to him in her chair. "Because you have talent, old man, for twisting words. For feeding back to someone what they, or you believe in, and making it sound however you want it to. And I will have none of it. Do you hear? Not now."

Katlin turned back to Orion. Expecting Dumbledore to say something in reply, for he usually did, she eventually grew uncomfortable enough under the silence to turn back to see if he was there.

Which he was.

"Well?" She asked.

"You had nothing to do with what happened, Katlin." Dumbledore repeated his statement from that morning. "Nor could you have stopped it. If not you, he would have found another."

"So I was convenient?"

"As you have always been." Dumbledore replied kindly.

Katlin narrowed her eyes at the man. "What do you mean?"

Dumbledore pulled himself up. "You are a woman of great loyalties, Katlin Griss. Once you decide a person is worthy of it, you will defend them to the very end. Voldemort knew that." He said, pausing briefly as his expression soften a bit. "And took advantage of it."

Katlin suddenly got to her feet in a blaze of anger. She may have her doubts about the man Voldemort was now, but she would defend her memory of who he was to her to the end. "Silence!" She stated. "How dare you stand there and accuse him of such a thing. You know nothing! Voldemort has always been beside me. He has been the one who has shown loyalty. Loyalty and trust and caring. More than I have ever known. More than I deserved at times. And I will not betray that by sitting here and listening to your lies!"

"And you haven't betrayed him, Katlin. But you have been questioning his reasoning as of late. As has it seemed you have had good reason to."

"Enough!" Katlin shouted as she pulled her robes tightly about her and headed for the door to the infirmary. The old fool was far too close too the truth for her to comfortable with hearing it, and the only recourse she could see, as much as she hated it, was to leave. But Dumbledore stepped in front of her in a blur of movement, stopping her retreat.

"I'm sorry." He said gently, giving her a kind smile that she refused to look up to see. "I've upset you. I didn't mean for my words to do that. Please," he added, directing her back to the chair by Orion's bed, "I am sure Orion would want you to stay."

Katlin slowly turned back around and allowed her feet to direct her back to her husband's bedside.

"Would you like anything?" She heard Dumbledore asked as she slowly seated herself in the chair. "Some tea, perhaps?"

Katlin only shook her head in response, not trusting herself to speak just yet.

"Very well, Katlin. I'll leave you then. But you only need call if you need anything."

"Please just go." She whispered. "Please leave me alone. I'm just not in the mood for semantics right now."

"Of course, child." The old wizard replied kindly. "And I will see that you are not disturbed further."

Katlin only nodded her response as she took hold of Orion's hand again, listening to the soft sound of the door as it closed.

**Q&A**

Skahducky:

**I liked how there was more of Harry in this chapter.**

**Why was Arabella so angry at Snape at the end of the chapter? He wasn't saying anything to deliberately get her mad; he was just giving the facts.**

Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

Always glad to please my readers, Dear. And although Harry was not in this chapter, he will be back in the next.

A very good question. But you have to understand what Snape was saying in a sort of underhanded way. As a matter of fact, he was taking so many pot-shots at the man, I think he set a record of some sort. Being a former Deatheater, Snape would, of course, have had run-ins with Orion. And as such, has a bit of a chip on his shoulder with not only Orion as an Unspeakable, but he's not too keen on him as Sirius' older brother either. The overall encompassing comment Snape is making here is, "You lie down with dogs...".

Keeping in mind what he and Arabella were discussing, and that Arabella had just explained to Harry that once someone is touched by dark magic, it almost always stays a part of them forever, Snape is simply expounding on the subject at Orion's expense. What is implied is that being touched by dark magic is not a desirable thing to any decent wizard or witch. Whether or not that is true I think depends solely on who you ask. Snape's comment is implying (rather heavily) is that Orion is no stranger to dark magic. That not only does he know about it, but has been touched by it at some point, and seems to get along with it just fine, implying he is not a decent sort of person.

See, lots of low-blows in one not-so-innocent statement.

Arabella, knowing what Snape was implying, was none to pleased with him. Hence, the dirty look.

All reviews are as of 04/30/2006.

And remember;

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: I would ask if you would please take a moment to read the Q&A this week. It's important.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE -THE BARGAIN**

For the next several days, Harry wandered about the castle looking for things to occupy his time that also kept him clear of Voldemort. Most of that time was taken up stopping by the infirmary a dozen or more times a day to check on Orion's condition.

Much of what Snape had said proved all too frighteningly true. Many of the times that Harry had stopped by, Madam Pomfrey and Snape had been in the middle of trying to counter a seizure.

Unable to help, Harry was forced instead to stand by and watch as one of the worst moments of his life was lived out over and over before him. Sirius' own near death experience of few weeks earlier as he struggled to breathe after apparently similar seizures to the ones Orion was now suffering from.

After a few days of witnessing the frightening spectacle numerous times, Arabella finally suggested to Harry that there was little he could do for the time being and perhaps it would be best if he left Orion in Madam Pomfrey's and Snape's hands for a while.

So more or less restricted from the infirmary for the time being, Harry decided the next best thing to do to fill his time was to explore about the castle. With its seemingly ever changing topography, Harry found that Hogwart's never lacked in being able to surprise him with a recently unknown pathway if he just looked for it long enough. And so wandering down a little used corridor late one afternoon on his second day of restricted access to the infirmary, Harry was pleased to pull aside a large tapestry to find a small door hidden behind it.

Even better, it was unlocked.

Having to bend down to get through the small opening, Harry wondered if the door wasn't perhaps one that the house elves used to get about the castle.

Once he was through the doorway, Harry stood up only to find himself standing in a whole lot of dark. He quickly lit his wand to reveal a passageway that was fairly unimpressive. It wasn't any higher than he stood, actually forcing him to bend down at certain junctures to avoid hitting overhead supports. The walls were the same stone blocks that made up most of the castle, while the floor was an array of different size and color stones fitted together. Following the passageway for what seemed like miles, Harry finally stopped for a much needed rest. As he stood in the stone corridor listening to his own breathing, Harry suddenly froze.

Ahead of him he distinctly heard two voices.

Harry hurried as silently as he could back to the last juncture he remembered passing by and hid around the corner, listening to the voices. After several minutes, he realized that the voices weren't actually getting any closer. They, in fact, seemed to stay in one place.

Slowly making his way back to where he had stopped, Harry began a painfully slow progression forwards as he sought out where the voices were coming from. But only a few yards further down the corridor, he found himself standing below a small hole in the ceiling of the passageway. Above him he could clearly hear Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape having some sort of discussion. Harry reasoned they must have been in Professor Dumbledore's office since he could just hear the gentle tones of Dumbledore's phoenix in the background.

"But surely there is something we can do?" Harry heard Dumbledore say. ""Somewhere there is a cure for this. Voldemort would not have made the offer to help if there wasn't a solution to the problem."

Harry quickly settled down to listen to Snape's reply.

"Knowing how Voldemort's mind works, I wouldn't put it past him to offer us a carrot when none really exists." the potions master answered. "He could just be trying to force our hand, hoping we give in before Mr. Black's time runs out."

Harry heard the old wizard sigh. "How long do you think we still have?"

Snape seemed to consider his answer for a few moments. "At the speed I have seen the seizures progressing, I would doubt the man will survive more than a few more days. The problem, however, isn't how long he'll survive, but more what condition he'll survive in."

"Meaning?"

"The seizures are getting worse. That means the poison is progressing. Left to long, even should Voldemort produce a cure, he may never be free of them entirely. The longer we wait, the more that possibility becomes, as well as do we have no idea where the point of no return is. Without the antidote delivered soon enough, the poison may simply become incurable."

The old wizard sighed again. "Well, there's nothing we can do. Harry has to agree of his own free will. We can't try to influence his decision. And Sirius himself told Harry not to help Voldemort. He must have had a reason."

"But the circumstances have changed, Headmaster. Surely even Sirius Black would not wish this death on his brother."

"Well, we won't ever know. Voldemort has refused to let Harry talk to Sirius. He says the boy has to make the choice on his own."

"I still have time." Snape answered finally. "Come and look at this book I found. The poison listed here is very similar to the one Voldemort may have used. Perhaps if we could rework it a bit, we may be able to make an antidote out of it. Or at least something that may slow the poison down."

Harry heard the rustling of pages and the voices grew too soft for him to hear well enough anymore. But it didn't matter. He had basically heard all he needed to. If he didn't accept Voldemort's terms, Orion died. The choice seemed to be just that simple. And what was so wrong with accepting Voldemort's proposition? All he wanted Harry to do was to find this wizard so Voldemort could stop him. A wizard who, as far as Harry was concerned, seemed just as bad, if not worse, than Voldemort himself. So, Voldemort wanted to help them get rid of another dark wizard. Where was the harm in that? To Harry, it seemed like a good thing.

But even as he made his decision, another thought rose to the forefront.

Sirius had said 'no'. And he had been fairly adamant about it. And whatever his reasons were, Voldemort hadn't wanted them to hear them.

But why? What was Voldemort hiding? What part of this new scheme of his was he keeping so carefully guarded? Did the wizard have something Voldemort wanted? Something like the Sorcerer's stone? Did he have some way to restore Voldemort to a body of his own?

Harry shrugged at his own question as he made his way slowly back down the tunnel. Where was the harm in that either? If Voldemort got a body of his own, he would leave Sirius' body and Harry and Arabella would have Sirius back.

If Voldemort kept his promise.

But what is the spell could be made to work for him for a change?

Harry considered that for a moment. Instead of trying to work things to make the fit Voldemort's plans, what if he could dictate a few rules of his own? After all, he was the wizard's secretkeeper. Surely the spell would respond to him more than to Voldemort.

Harry was still deep in thought over his many possible courses of action when he emerged from the tunnel. So totally preoccupied that he ran straight into another person as he stepped back into the corridor as they were hurrying past.

"I'm sorry." Harry apologized quickly as the person grabbed him by the arms to steady him. "I wasn't watch..."

Harry stopped in mid-sentence. The exact same response he imagined the woman standing before him would always elicit from him and the other half of the world's population.

"Katlin?"

The Elite barely acknowledged him before she grabbed his arm and pushed him through the door next to them.

"Harry?" she exclaimed, slamming the door shut. "What are you doing here?"

"Me?" He all but laughed at the question, throwing himself against her as he hugged her, happy just to see her again and know that she was all right. "The last I heard of you, you were headed for Azkaban."

The Elite frowned as she carefully peeled the enthusiastic teenager off of her. "Yes. Well, thankfully, I didn't arrive."

"But how did you escape? Dumbledore said that you had, but he never said how."

"And it's going to stay that way, Harry. A lot of people could get into a lot of trouble otherwise, all right?"

Harry nodded quickly. "But what are you doing here? At Hogwarts?"

Katlin started to answer before she thought of the consequences. "My hu...," she stopped herself just in time. Instead she pulled herself up and crossed her arms in front of her, regarding the teenager before her like nothing more than a casual acquaintance. "My business here, Harry, isn't really any of yours." she replied in a conversationally cool voice. "My question is, what are you doing here? School hasn't started yet, surely. There are no other students around from what I seen."

Harry shook his head. "School starts in about two weeks. But we're here with Volde..." Harry stopped suddenly, unsure of how much he was allowed to say to someone about why he was at the castle, much less a Deatheater.

"You're here with Voldemort." Katlin finished his sentence for him. "I know all about the spell Voldemort used to take over your godfather's body, Harry. It's old news, I assure you."

"Oh." Was the most intelligent thing Harry could think to say at the moment.

"I also know why your standing in basically the same space with the dark lord and he isn't trying to kill you."

Harry stared mutely up at her.

Katlin returned an equally inquisitive stare as if waiting for him to supply the information. But when none came, she sighed softly and turned to the ceiling. "All right." she said, "how about a quick game of fill in the blank?"

"Fill in the blank?"

"Yes, I'll tell you what I know, you tell me when I go wrong and fill in the blank."

Harry never got a change to agree or not before Katlin started.

"You are here with that pesky godmother of yours..."

"She's not pesky." Harry quickly put in.

Katlin stared down at him. "That's a matter of opinion, but I'll let it go for now. You are here with Figg and Voldemort. The reason you are still alive is that the dark lord needs you to help him find the wizard in the north because you are somehow this man's secretkeeper. However, somewhere along the way, your dear godfather told you not to help Voldemort find this man, and so you refuse to cooperate. In the hopes of persuading you, Voldemort ordered the Auror, Orion Black, poisoned, and refuses to cure the man unless you tell him where this wizard is. How am I doing?" She smiled down at him.

Harry frowned. "How do you know all that?"

"Sources, Harry. Any changes to make?"

Harry wandered over to the stairs and sat down on them, staring past the banister. "Nope. That's pretty much it."

Katlin followed him and took a seat next to him. "Well, Harry Potter, the ball is, as I believe they say, in your court." Her expression grew suddenly very serious. "What are you going to do?"

Harry sighed as he continued to stare at the banister railing. "I wish I knew." he said quietly. "Sirius told me I wasn't to help Voldemort. Not for anything. But that was before Orion got poisoned. I mean, surely Sirius wouldn't want Orion to die, would he?" he ask, turning a hopeful stare to the woman next to him.

Katlin studied the anxious face of the teenager next to her. It would be so simple to tell him what to do. To direct him down the paths that would best suit her. Help Voldemort. Get the cure for her husband. Keep her family safe.

It would all be so very simple, and the boy would never suspect a thing.

But that was the problem.

Harry was simply too trusting. And somewhere she had promised herself she was going to teach him a few life lessons to hopefully cure him of that. Teach him the world was a very cruel and heartless place and you had to watch out for number one or become the world's doormat, happily letting people walk over you and wipe their feet while they advanced and you remained their doormat.

"Harry...," she began. But she stopped suddenly as she met the boy's stare. She started again, but stopped just as quickly.

It would be easy to lead the boy. Give him the answers she wanted him to hear. Make him do the things she wanted him to do.

But in doing so, wouldn't she just be doing the very thing she swore she would teach him to be on guard against?

"Harry...," she started again, "I wish I could help you. Truly I do."

"Uh-oh." Harry stated forlornly. "I've heard this before."

"This?"

Harry nodded. "The same thing I get from everyone whenever I ask what I should do...except Voldemort. He's all too happy to tell me what to do."

Katlin smiled at his assessment. "Well, he's very good at that." She replied. "He's been doing it for a while. But what does everyone else tell you?"

"That I have to make the decision on my own. No one can make it for me."

Katlin reached up and gently smoothed a bit of hair down on his head. "Well, someone has indeed saved me a lot of time." she said. "And I'm sorry I can't tell you differently, Harry. But you do have to make this decision on your own. But in doing so, maybe you can eliminate one of the factors causing you the most trouble in making that choice."

Harry turned hopefully to her.

"Maybe, Harry," she offered, staring intently down at him, "maybe just this once, you shouldn't listen to what Sirius told you to do with such a single minded devotion."

"But he said..."

"Not to help." Katlin finished. "I know. And I am sure he had his reasons. But Harry, at the time he said that, his brother wasn't laying on a bed, fighting for his life."

"But if that would make a difference," Harry replied, "why won't Voldemort let me talk to him now? Surely he would think Sirius would agree now. It would make everything simpler for him to let me talk to Sirius. But he refuses to let me. Like he knows Sirius will tell me not to help him still. And if he does, knowing Orion will die if I don't, he must have a really good reason. And maybe that's why..."

Katlin slapped a hand over the boy's mouth. "Maybe, maybe, maybe." she stated in irritation. "That's all I'm hearing here, Harry. "Maybe this is the reason, or maybe that is, or maybe this will happen. Harry, stop driving yourself in circles with 'maybe'. Center on the facts."

"I am."

"No, you're not."

Harry stared at her.

"All right. Let's look at it. Tell me how you see things."

"I already have."

"Humor me. Do it again."

Harry sighed. "Where do you want me to start?"

"What are you basing your choices on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Voldemort wants you to help find the wizard, right?"

Harry nodded.

"All right. Why do you think you should?"

"Should?" Harry ask in surprise.

"Just give me some reasons, Harry."

Harry thought carefully. "Well, the wizard seems to be awfully powerful. Even Voldemort seems worried about him. And he seems dangerous."

"So he might be a good person to get rid of then."

Harry nodded.

"Anything else?"

"If I do help, Voldemort said he might be able to cure..."

"Stop." Katlin interjected quickly. "That's conjecture, Harry."

"Conjecture?"

"Did Voldemort say for sure he could cure the Auror?"

Harry shook his head.

"Then there's no bases there for allowing it into your list of pro's and con's here. Go on. What other reasons are there for helping Voldemort?"

"That's it really." Harry admitted.

"All right. Why not help him?"

"Well, that's a hard one." Harry replied with a frown, pretending to think. "Sirius said not to and..."

Katlin help up a finger. "And the situation has changed, Harry."

"But Voldemort won't let me talk to him, so he must know that Sirius will..."

The finger stayed up. "A and B, Harry."

"A and B?"

"Because of A, B must be true. Simple logistics, right?"

Harry thought for a moment.

"Well?"

"But if he won't..."

The finger stayed up. "Facts, Harry. Deal only in facts. Do you know for sure why Voldemort won't let you talk to Sirius?"

"I think it stands to reason." Harry replied defiantly. "He won't because he knows Sirius will say 'no'."

"Really?" she drew out the word in a manner that made Harry suddenly very nervous. "So that's the only reason, is it?"

"What other one is there?"

"A whole book full if you get past your favorite for a few seconds."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that Voldemort knows more about this spell than anyone, Harry. Maybe he won't let you talk to Sirius because he knows you have to make the decision on your own."

"But he's manipulating me to help him."

"And maybe he knows that anyone directly trying to influence your decision negates it by the parameters of the spell."

Harry considered the possibility. "So you think maybe Voldemort won't let me talk to Sirius because there's no point in it?"

Katlin shrugged. "Either that or he thinks Sirius will tell you not to help him."

Harry dropped his head to his knees with a barely stifled groan. "You're not helping, Katlin."

The Elite starred down at him. "I don't recall ever saying I was here to do that, Harry."

Harry turned to look at her. "You must have been with Voldemort for an awfully long time."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because sometimes you talk just like him...and just as vague."

Katlin tossed her hair back as she took to studying the banister rail. "I'm to trying to be vague, Harry." she pointed out. "I'm trying to make a point."

"What point."

"Maybe Voldemort is right in not letting you talk to Sirius."

"Because he knows what he'll say."

Katlin shook her head slowly. "Stop looking at him like that all the time, Harry. Try a different approach and you may find different answers. This wizard is a very devious person. Make no mistake. Now, don't you think, with everything he's gone through to keep himself protected from Voldemort, he would not have overlooked the dark lord's trying to force or manipulate you into helping him?"

Harry thought about that. "Maybe."

"And perhaps Voldemort knew about this?"

"That's just another 'maybe'."

"Then let me offer you another suggestion."

"Like what?"

"One you're not going to like."

Harry sighed. "Go ahead."

"It's not a new one, Harry." she answered softly. "But maybe now you'll hear someone telling it to you. You can't get this answer from anyone else. You have to find it on your own. The choice is solely yours. I think Voldemort knows what he's talking about with this spell. And I think you'd do well to give him at least half a benefit of doubt in what he tells you. And is it really so hard here? To make the choice on your own? To not let anyone or anything influence you."

"How can I do that? That's how you make choices."

Katlin shook her head again. "Not always, Harry. Sometimes you have to look inside yourself for the answers. You just have to listen to your heart, for lack of a better explanation."

"But Voldemort is influencing me, Katlin." Harry pointed out. "If not for Orion, I would have still said 'no'."

"Really?" The Elite studied the boy for a few moments. "Didn't you just list for a me at least one good reason why you thought helping Voldemort was a good thing to do? Because this wizard seems very dangerous. And has anyone contested that? Come to you and said, 'You know, Harry. I don't think this wizard is really such a bad chap. Let's just leave him go for a while and see what happens.'?"

Harry shook his head.

"Again, Harry, you're going to have to look into yourself for this answer. That may be the very parameter of the spell that allows you to find this wizard as his secretkeeper. Remember that for me, all right?"

Harry nodded as he watched the Elite rise up to her feet and carefully dust off her robes.  
"Well, I have to be going." she said conversationally. "I have people to see while I'm here still."

"Are you going to see Dumbledore?" Harry ask.

Katlin turned back to him. "You always seem to ask that question? Why?"

Harry shrugged. "Every time he's mentioned you, he just seems...sort of fond of you. I thought if you were here, he'd like to see you."

"I see Dumbledore when I need to, Harry. Not because he might be fond of a visit. Don't color that relationship to be anything more than it is. Dumbledore has helped me out of some tight situations before. In return, I do him an occasional favor. We hardly sit down for tea on a regular basis."

Harry shrugged again. "He still seems fond of you."

Katlin placed a light kiss on his forehead. "You think about what I've said, Harry, all right? You make this decision on your own."

Harry nodded as he watched her walk off down the corridor. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't see the soft-spoken, intelligent, pretty woman he just been talking to in the same light as Sirius and Arabella painted her as that of a cold-hearted, feared killer. She just seemed too...nice. Or at least she was to him. But he reminded himself that when he had treaded into forbidden topical areas with her before her demeanor had changed faster than a Spring day in London. Warm and pleasant one minute, cold and chilled the next.

An hour later Harry stood outside the door of one of the castle's rooms for a few moments, still debating his action with himself.

The very thing he was getting ready to do Sirius had told him not to. Not for anything in the world.

But things were different now. Surely Sirius hadn't foreseen things turning out as they had. And despite what he had told Voldemort, Harry was sure Sirius wouldn't ask him to sacrifice Orion's life for whatever it was Voldemort wanted so badly.

Harry shook his head. He wasn't going to think about that. This wizard had to be stopped. Voldemort knew how to do that. So they needed Voldemort's help. That was what he had decided to concentrate on.

Harry raised his fist, hesitating one last time before he knocked on the wooden door.

The door carefully opened. Behind it the smiling face of his godfather looked down at Harry.

"Well now," he said pleasantly, looking up and down the corridor, "this is a surprise. Here all by yourself? Without your two watchdogs?"

"I want to talk to you." Harry stated simply.

Voldemort stepped back from the doorway. Again Harry hesitated for a few seconds before walking in. He jumped despite himself when Voldemort closed the door.

"So, Harry," Voldemort asked, limping slightly as he walked back into the room and slowly seating himself in a chair by the fire, "what is it exactly I can do for you?"

"Can you cure Orion?" Harry stated bluntly. He wasn't here to waste time or words with the man. Get to the point, get an answer, and get out. That was his goal.

Voldemort paused for a moment as though he were thinking. "Well, I haven't actually seen the man..."

"You said you could." Harry stated.

Voldemort leaned forward in his chair. "I made an assumption based on what you told me. On what Snape told you. If that information proves true, then 'yes', I can cure him."

"And you'll only do that if I help you?"

Voldemort sat studying the boy before him. For a minute Harry thought he was going to change his answer.

"I need to find this wizard, Harry." Voldemort replied finally. "I would rather not have to force you to cooperate, but 'yes', that is my price. And, in fact, I can't force you. You have to do it freely, or the spell won't work."

Harry was a bit surprised to hear the dark lord admit so freely what Katlin had suspected about the spell. "How am I suppose to do that when I'm being forced?"

"I'm not forcing you." Voldemort replied in an almost bored tone. "You have the right to refuse."

"And Orion dies."

Voldemort shrugged. "A choice is a choice, Harry. You don't have to like it, just make one."

"But that doesn't change that I'm not making this choice of my own free will." Harry reasoned.

Voldemort smiled at him. But there wasn't an ounce of warmth in the smile. It was a cold, calculated, but very pleased smile. "But you are." he replied. "I have nothing to do with it. You can either choose to help me and Orion Black lives. Or refuse, and he dies. That choice is solely yours."

"That choice." Harry answered. "But the choice to help you find this wizard won't be something I want to do."

Voldemort sighed loudly. "Listen to me, Harry. Spells are funny things. You don't study them as long as I have without learning a few things. So, you leave the particulars to me, and concentrate on the rest. Now, you want me to help save Orion Black's life, yes?"

Harry nodded.

"And I will. But you have to trust me, Harry. And you have to remember 'why' I'm doing it, and that we have a bargain between us. That's all I'll ask of you for now." Voldemort promised with a small smile.

Harry quickly decided he didn't care much for that smile at all. "You have everything planned, don't you?" Harry asked pointedly.

"Don't you think someone should in all this?" Voldemort asked. "Harry, we're not going to face some third year student with his book of spells open in front of him. We are going to face a very powerful, very dangerous, possibly deranged wizard who on whim could kill any one of us. Now, would you like to go prepared, or just make it up as we go along?"

Harry hated admitting Voldemort was right, no matter how twisted his reasoning in the end. But if the wizard was as dangerous as Voldemort said, it was better to go with a plan. The problem was, Harry had no idea how far the plan reached. But he was pretty sure he was already being manipulated. The problem was, there was little he could do about it for now.

But he didn't have long to ponder the question. Voldemort was already on his feet and heading over to him.

"Go and tell Snape I'll need his assistance in about an hour. I'll need to go and find a few ingredients I'm sure even the traitor doesn't have in his supplies. At that time he can meet me in his dungeon lab and we'll begin work on a possible cure. And tell Dumbledore I would prefer if no one else was present. I prefer quiet when I have to brew potions."

Harry couldn't get out of the room fast enough. But Voldemort stopped him suddenly with a hand on his shoulder.

Harry turned quickly to him, pulling back a step as he stared up at him.

"You remember, Harry," Voldemort stated in a low, even voice Harry had never heard the man use before. It was almost as though Sirius was standing before him, giving him one of his 'parental lectures', "once this is done, our bargain is sealed. So you be sure in one hour that this is what you want to do. There'll be no turning back then."

Harry paused as he looked up at the man before him. There was so little of his godfather in those eyes now that Harry was beginning to wonder if what Voldemort had said about the spell slowly integrating the two personalities was true or not.

"And you remember something as well." Harry said in a voice as equaled Voldemort's own as he could make it. "I know that everyone seems to think I'm just some innocent kid. That I don't really understand what's going on or that I could even begin to. And maybe they're right. Maybe I don't understand everything. But of one thing I am very sure and one thing I can promise you. If you harm Sirius, Arabella, or Orion, or even Snape, or anyone I care about, no matter what else happens, I will hunt you down, I will find you, and I will kill you with my bare hands if I have to."

Voldemort looked almost startled for a moment. But he quickly masked it behind a small smile. "Well," he said slowly, staring down at the teenager before him, "threatening to kill me. And with such conviction, Harry Potter. My, my. I do believe there's hope for you yet."

Harry met the man's stare without flinching. But finally he turned back to the door, wanting nothing more suddenly than to get out of that room and very sure he didn't want to know what sort of hope Voldemort held out for him. Without looking back Harry pulled the door open and hurried out.

With a satisfied smile, Voldemort shut the door behind him.

**Q&A**

I would ask that you indulge me this weekend, folks and instead of Q&A, which I will do next time, give a minute of your time to consider the statement below. I wrote this in response to the comment highlighted.

I would ask also you take my suggestion very seriously about how to combat this growing problem on FFN.

**reporting you for abuse...sorry but too much nonstory in your chapters...maybe irc would be a better internet experience since you think this is a chat...always here to help!**

All right, Dear. Let's have a chat.

My story's word count total was **2800 **words.

Total not DIRECTLY associated to the story's line, **424**.

Total directly related to the story, **2376**.

Now, what I want out of you, is for you to explain to me and every one of the other readers and writers of this site as well as the people who sanction at FFN, what you find so offensive about those odds that you feel I needed to be reported for abuse?

Now, as to your ending comment. Please don't lie, Dear. Based on the odds listed, the only reason you did it was to be mean, nasty, and malicious. Nothing else.

With your motivation in consideration, here is what your actions have got you.

I sent an e-mail to FFN outlining exactly what I just did for you. My suggestion to them was that when abuse like this is reported and can be justifiably refuted, that the 'abuse reporter' themselves are restricted from the site for falsely reporting abuse.

I think a great many of the users of FFN will admit gladly that the reporting of abuse has **gotten out of hand **and has become a tool for people to lash out at others for reasons of jealousy, meanness, or whatever other petty reasons motivate them.

FFN has become too lax in allowing reporting of abuse and some very fine writers are being sanctioned for no other reason than those listed above. I would ask each of you to please add your voices to mine and **send an abuse report to FFN **complaining about the lax policy of reporting abuse and that **new guidelines **are set up where a writer can defend themselves and, if found in the right, that the reporter themselves are sanctioned.

Maybe this will cut down on some of the mean-spirited abuse reporting I have heard taking place on this site.

Thank you for your time.

P.A.R.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Uneventful week, folks. Not much to say.

Except,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: POTIONS AND LIES**

An hour later exactly, Snape stood in his dungeon lab, leaning over a empty cauldron as he waited for Voldemort. As calm as he tried to appear, he had a white-knuckled grip on the rim of the cauldron. Potter had come to the Headmaster an hour before stating that he had agreed to help Voldemort and the reasons why. The boy had told him what the dark lord had said, verbatim, as Dumbledore had insisted.

Voldemort had called him a traitor.

Well, that wasn't much of a surprise. The dark lord knew he was a spy at that point. No need to try and deny that any longer.

But to now have to work with him.

Alone.

Dumbledore had at first bulked at the demand. The Headmaster wasn't about to leave Voldemort alone with a man he would no doubt take a great deal of pleasure killing. But Snape himself had agreed to the terms. He insisted that while Voldemort may be very good at waving his wand about, he was absolutely hopeless at brewing potions. He wouldn't hurt someone he needed. And at the moment what Voldemort needed was a potions master.

Snape was grateful for his tight grip on the cauldron when the door opened. It kept him from jumping a few feet into the air.

"I sent a list ahead of me of what I would need for this particular potion." Voldemort started immediately, coming into the room in a grand sweeping rush of black robes, not even bothering to look at the other man in the room.

"I have everything already prepared." Snape replied in an overly formal manner. "It should cut the preparation time down considerably."

Voldemort stopped as he looked over the ingredients, turning his eyes to the man across the table with the smallest trace of mischief in them.

"Very good, Severus. As efficient as ever."

Snape said nothing in reply. He had resolved to say as little as he could to his former master. Simply do the work and concentrate on nothing else. That was the way to get through this alive.

"Can we just get on with this?" Snape asked curtly.

Voldemort looked up from examining the items on the table. "What is it, Severus? Do you have somewhere better to be?" Voldemort straightened up and studied the man across the table from him again. "Or maybe you do? I mean, spies are always running off somewhere, aren't they? Does the old wizard have some secret mission for you? Or perhaps," Voldemort held up a finger, stopping Snape from responding, "perhaps you've already grown tired of serving your new master? What will it be this time, Severus? Have you betrayed us both to this other wizard? I mean, that is pretty much the way things seem to go for you, isn't it? First you betrayed Dumbledore to serve me. Then you betrayed me to go back to serving Dumbledore. Are you planning on betraying Dumbledore again by spying now for this other wizard?"

Just as Snape was feeling his fingers itching to grab his wand, a small black cat suddenly ran into the room and launched itself up on the rim of the cauldron.

Snape immediately turned to the door. If Diamond was there, someone else wasn't far behind. And Snape couldn't have been happier to see her.

"So," Analisa announced as she bustled her way into the room, "how is it going? I do hope I haven't missed anything."

Voldemort continued to stare at Snape for a few moments before turning to Analisa, as though he were looking for or expecting some reaction from him. "We were just going to get started." he replied in a formal but conversational tone. "I wasn't sure you were going to come."

Analisa settled a cold, even gaze on Snape. "I considered it." she replied. "But I rarely would want to pass up the opportunity to see Snape at work, my lord. He may be a traitor, but he is still a master potions brewer."

It was everything Snape could do not to stand there with his mouth hanging open. A reaction Voldemort did not miss in the least.

"You seem surprised to see Analisa here, Severus." he inquired. "Or are you simply surprised to see her alive at all? She did, after all, reveal my plan to use Black's body to Dumbledore. That alone would have earned my most faithful follower an instant dead sentence. As it would have been for Analisa," he added, turning back to Snape, "had she not told me of your part in that."

"My part?" Snape inquired, casting a brief glance at Analisa.

"Yes. You are an excellent potions brewer, Severus. But you lack any real skill in spell casting."

Snape kept his gaze fixed on Voldemort, not missing at all that Voldemort had just turned his own earlier insult back on him. But currently he was more interested in trying to stay one step ahead of where the conversation was going. Analisa had woven out some tale to the dark lord to explain her actions, but she hadn't had the time or the opportunity to apprise him of it. So he would have to simply listen and let Voldemort spell it out for him instead and play along as best he could.

"When Analisa told me of your Imperious Curse, I was duly suspicious. One can, after all, easily say one did things under such a spell's influence. But the traces of the spell were still there. And it was painfully clear someone had tried to cover them up." Voldemort shook his head slightly. "Very poor work overall, Severus."

Analisa turned to him with a slight sneer. "I'm surprised that getting me to betray my lord was as far as you went."

Snape pulled himself up as he stared down at her. "Why would I result to an Imperious Curse for something you gave away so freely, my dear?" he replied.

The insult hit home as Analisa gave a small gasp but recovered herself quickly as she huffed at him. "Of course, Severus. After all those years I spent in Evan's shadow while you pined after her, never even giving me the time of day, I just couldn't wait to start humiliating myself by throwing myself at your feet? Not likely."

"Black's time is growing short." Voldemort cut in, not giving Snape time to answer, for which he was actually grateful. He had found out all he needed to know in less than two minutes. Analisa had apparently told Voldemort she had exposed his plan to Dumbledore under an Imperious Curse, having had someone work one on her very close to the same time she had spoken to Dumbledore, then had them try to remove any traces of it, but leaving just enough behind to show some tampering was done. All in all, it wasn't a bad plan, but still extremely risky.

What he wasn't sure of was why she had used him as the perpetrator of the act? Was it part of her plan or pure coincidence? That was something he would have to leave to finding out later. For now he turned back to beginning his work, reminding himself how he was going to get through this alive.

"And do be sure to explain things, Severus," Analisa spoke up suddenly in as condescending a tone as he had ever heard her use with him. "I wouldn't want to miss anything important."

Snape considered the request somewhat odd. Knowing him as she did, Analisa knew he hated talking while he worked. But a sudden idea struck him as to the reason for the strange request, which he decided to test as he worked.

For her part, Analisa at first stood simply observing as Voldemort continued to work over the ingredients. She didn't ask so much as a single question, but her attention seemed positively riveted to taking careful inventory of each of the ingredients and their amounts. But the minute the actual brewing began she became a veritable book of questions. Why did they add the ingredients in a certain order? How long was it necessary to brew each one when it was added. What could go wrong if to much was added or it cooked too long?

Everything Snape expected her to ask to prove his assumption right.

She wasn't there to watch him. She had been sent to watch Voldemort. To watch, to learn, and to remember. All of which he was certain she would be reporting back to Dumbledore before morning.

Once the potion was finished Voldemort filed a small vile with the green liquid and sat it on the table. For several moments he simply stared at the bottle. After a few moments the liquid inside started to bubble as though it were being heated, then settled down again. After a few more seconds past it slowly began to change color. Starting at the bottom, the color gradually changed from green to blue.

When the transformation was complete, Voldemort took the bottle and handed it to Snape.

"Take that to Dumbledore. Tell him they are to give it to Black in three equal measures over the course of three hours. Once that is done he should start to show improvement over the next twenty-four hours."

"And if he doesn't?" Snape ask.

Voldemort gave him an unconcerned smile. "Then we were too late." he replied calmly. "And Mr. Black will die."

**Q&A **

**Family Relations**

Skahducky:

**It seems to me that things are going to start happening very quickly in the next few chapters. I knew Harry was going to decide to help Voldemort, but I wasn't sure how long it would take. Please update soon!**

I don't know that the pace will pick up much in the next three chapters. But a lot of information will be imparted in them.

Well, let's face it, if Harry hadn't agreed to help, I wouldn't have had much of a story. And Voldemort isn't much for the 'patience' thing. So he wasn't going to let things drag on for too long. He set up a situation and then began to hammer away at Harry's resistance at ever opportunity.

Blanca Rosa:

**Did someone actually do that? If they did it sounds that they have not read any of the Harry Potter books or actually understood them. I didn't even know we could actually abuse a book with little information from the said book, I mean there are loads of other stories ( no offence to anyone) that don't follow the story barely at all. Anyways please update soon!**

It's not the book or its theme they were accusing me of abusing, Dear. It was the regulations of the site. The person felt that I had too much 'chat' and not enough story. I felt that with just a little over 400 words of a 2800 word story dedicated to talking to my readers, I did not violate any rules. And as that to my knowledge I was not sanctioned, apparently, FFN agreed with me.

Thank you for your concern though.

MasterLupin:

**I will support you fearless leader! but anyway this was an interesting chapter, starting to see Harry step up for himself and all that. However I think I found an inconsitancey with your story. "Me?" He all but laughed at the question, throwing himself against her as he hugged her, happy just to see her again and know that she was all right. "The last I heard of you, you were headed for Azkaban."**

Didn't Harry met up with her outside of the adoption center in London when Orion intercepted him from Sirius/Voldermort?

Dang!

Dangdangdangdangdang!

OK. Fairs fair. Have your gold star, Dear. You earned it. (Gold star that keeps getting erased when I try to download it).

Yes, indeed. You are right. Harry had met up with Katlin before in an earlier chapter and I forgot.

**Fever**

Maegwin:

**I loved the story idea (Sirius and Lupin and Snape all being concerned over Harry, e! Hard to go wrong there.) But there were a bunch of jarring things in the fic itself.**

First, the writing. There's a constant mistake in the way you do dialog. For example, this is the way you do it: "Lupin is so hot." She said. Here's the way it should be: "Lupin is so hot," she said.

Another thing was how strangely lenient and understanding Lupin was towards the Dursleys. Vernon had beaten up Harry, after all. That really threw me off.

I'm a fan of Severus/Lupin friendship. But here it was like boom, here's the backstory, now voila, they're friends. It wasn't convincing. It needed more buildup.

First off, I'm glad you enjoyed the story, Dear.

Second, I guess it's a matter of how you were educated. I was taught different. If it was a comment in quotations ended in a comma, the descriptive phase to follow (he said, she said, they said, etc.) was not capitalized. If the comment ended in a period, the descriptive phrase that followed was always capitalized. But on that note, I usually don't bother much with things of that nature. After all, my editor needs something to do. And if you read my bio page, grammar is not something I ever claimed to be an expert at. You, on the other hand, are showing strong tendencies towards editorship. Ever thought about it, Dear? Pays well.

I don't know, Dear. I just always saw Lupin as something just short of almost ridiculously lenient towards people. 'Benefit of the doubt' and all that.

Well, Dear, I only had so much time to write this story. It is, in fact, wracked with things that could have been made better. But I do this for fun and entertainment. It is not my job, per say. When I am working on a piece for actual publication, I have to put a great deal more work into it. And it actually starts to become tedious to me since I am no great wiz at grammar. This site is one of the few places I can write as myself, as free as I want to be, and not have to worry about whether or not I got every little thing right.

Does this mean you are getting less quality from me than my professional writing? Myself, I would say no. I think my readers here are actually getting something my professional readers (people who pay for it) don't get. You are getting me at my very best, without the restrains placed on me by the professional world of writing. It requires a bit of leniency and perhaps a little extra work to sometimes sort out what word I was trying for, but I hope I make it worth the while.

All reviews are as of 06/04/2006.

And remember;

Hurricane season started four days ago, folks. PAR lives in Florida. We all know what THAT means. (Possible delays. Keep watch on my biopage for updates.)


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Well, my step-niece was married last weekend. It was a lovely wedding, but, not being a big fan of the institution, that's about all I can say about it.

So instead allow me to say,

as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: RECOVERY**

Snape didn't waste any time in getting to the heart of the matter with Analisa as they headed for the infirmary.

"You'll be heading for Dumbledore's office?" he ask as soon as he was sure they were alone in the corridor and out of anyone's hearing.

"Why would you think that?" Analisa ask, never slowing her pace in the least. Both knew that any time they wasted was likely time Orion didn't have.

Snape turned to her. "Because, my dear," he replied, "you were doing everything in the room but taking notes. I can only surmise that there was a reason. Likely because Dumbledore was as interested in this cure as anyone else."

Analisa was silent for a few moments before she ventured her next question. "Did he notice?"

Snape considered the question. "I don't think so. Voldemort is no great potions brewer. It takes his total concentration to make one correctly, and this one was very complicated."

Analisa fell silent again.

"So why the story?" he ask finally.

"I had to tell him something." she replied in barely a whisper. "He was going to kill me, Severus. Or more likely, both of us. Surely you knew that."

"What I knew was that you wouldn't have come to Dumbledore with the information you did without a contingency plan to explain such a 'slip' to Voldemort. What I wonder is why you didn't tell me? I could have used a little advance warning in there."

"Well I didn't expect you to be brewing potions with Voldemort for a start." she replied. "I thought I had time to warn you. Bu the next thing I knew you were being summoned to help brew a potion and Dumbledore wanted me there to do a grocery list for him." She ventured a cautious glance towards him, trying to gage his mood. "I am sorry, Severus." she said finally. "I tried to give you as much warning about what was going on as I could without having Voldemort become suspicious. Thankfully, he laid out most of the information you needed on his own."

"And why use me as the perpetrator of the spell?" He ask as they continued down the corridor.

Analisa sighed. "I didn't, really. That all came from Voldemort himself."

"Explain."

"When I told him of the spell originally, I told him I didn't know who had done it. I had been...more or less ambushed from behind. By the time I was released, I had simply been dropped off in the woods, never having seen my captures faces. Voldemort simply assumed it was you and supplied that part himself. I didn't even know he was going to say that, Severus." she implored him to believe her. "And I tried to cover it as best I could. I couldn't deny it was you if I had claimed to never have seen the faces of the actual people. I was literally thinking as fast as I could to keep us both alive."

Snape paused for a moment. "It was still very dangerous." He said finally.

Analisa walked in silence for a few minutes. "Am I at least in the running for forgiveness?" she ask tentatively.

Snape turned to her with a questioning stare.

"I didn't mean to get you into such a dangerous situation, Severus." She tried to explain quickly. "And I would have done anything to draw Voldemort's attention away from you if something had gone wrong. I know it was risky, and I know it was dangerous for you, and..."

Snape stopped her. "You think I am worried because it was dangerous for me!" He ask in surprise. "Analisa! It was you I was worried about. Not myself."

"Me?" she all but squeaked.

"Voldemort may be suspicious of my loyalty, Analisa, but he knows you have betrayed him as a fact. Anything he believes about me I can explain away. It simply takes a little creativity. But you were the only one who knew about the spell he planned to use on Black. You were the only one who could have told Dumbledore. Voldemort stated as much in one of the first meetings we had with him. He knows you have been disloyal. And we both know how he responds to that. His belief that I used a spell to force you to reveal his plans is immaterial. He doesn't care 'why' you do something, he only cares about the danger it brings to him."

"I'm still sorry you got involved in my lie." she said quietly.

"We'll deal with it when and if it becomes a problem. Right now we have other more pressing matters to deal with."

They continued on to the infirmary in silence until they reached the door. Just as she reached for the handle, Snape reached for her hand and turned her back to him.

"And just so there is no misunderstanding," he stated in a quiet voice, "you were never in anyone's shadow."

Analisa blinked back at him for a second. Then a small smile curved over her lips. "You are the strangest man I have ever known." She stated. "I never know one minute to the next what to expect out of you." And with a quick kiss, she hurried into the infirmary with the antidote.

The first dose of the poisons countering agent reacted much as Voldemort had said it would. Within twenty-four hours Orion was not only awake, but clamoring to be released from the infirmary. But Madam Pomfrey stood firm on wanting him to remain at least a few extra days so she could monitor his health and check for any aftereffects of the poison.

Still monitoring the poison's reactions for Dumbledore, Analisa had stopped by the infirmary herself each day in the afternoon to question Orion in length about how he felt. A task that left her feeling genuinely sorry for the poor nurse. Getting a single answer was a chore that took the better part of a fifteen minute argument as to why he couldn't leave that day.

Heading down on the third day, Analisa had chosen to stop by in the morning instead. Having agreed to have breakfast with Snape, she simply worked her daily visit into her morning schedule as a matter of convenience, seeing no ham in it.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Reaching the infirmary, Analisa had just pushed the door open a fraction of an inch when a voice stopped her, Snape nearly running into her from behind.

"What are you...?"

A hand quickly slapped itself over his mouth as Analisa silenced him, gesturing with her head towards the door.

Inside Snape heard a voice he was all too familiar with. But this time, instead of handing out orders with determined conviction, it was all but cooing over the infirmary's sole occupant.

"Honestly!" Katlin lightly chided her husband. "Half dead with poison or a simple head cold, you are the worst patient anyone could have."

A softer voice answered, one neither of them could make out.

"Be reasonable, Love." Katlin coddled him with her tone. "You want to get better, yes? You want to come home? The children are practically up the walls about when you are coming home. Poor Katy does nothing every night but cry herself to sleep for her da-da. And that won't happen if someone doesn't become a great deal more cooperative and takes their medicine."

Analisa pulled back, silently closing the door behind her as she turned back to Snape. "That's Katlin Griss!" the words came out in an excited hiss. "And there's only one person in the infirmary."

"You're putting the pieces together but coming up with the wrong picture, Analisa." Snape replied calmly.

The smile on the woman's face was positively bordering on a cat with a saucer of cream as she shook her head. "And she is all but crawling into that bed with him."

Snape shook his head. "It is well known that Griss is playing the Auror for secrets. Even Voldemort is aware of it."

Analisa gestured again to the room beyond, the smile remaining fixed on her face. "And exactly who is she playing to now, Severus? There's no one in there but the two of them. No audience."

"Then she's keeping up the pretext for him.

Analisa sighed dramatically. "You are such a man." she stated firmly.

"Thank you for noticing."

Analisa shook her head again. "That isn't playing to anyone, Severus. I'd bet every spell I know that is pure, genuine hearts and flowers in that room between them."

"And Griss is a competent actress. You're reading too much into things, Analisa. Now let's just come back lat..."

"Later, Severus?" The door swung open with a enough force to take it off it's hinges, being stopped with just as much precision. "But you're already here. And eaves-dropping, as usual."

Both Snape and Analisa stood stone still before the cold gaze of Katlin. And it was Snape who recovered first.

"Eaves-dropping?" He asked. "Analisa and I were just passing by. If anyone was listening in, I would say it was you, Ms. Griss."

"When people are 'passing by'," Katlin pointed out with a cool smile, "they usually keep walking. You two have been out here for a good three minutes." Katlin turned a stone cold gaze to Analisa. "I believe you have a patient to check." she informed her, giving the other woman no choice but to enter as she stepped back from the doorway.

Analisa gave Snape a quick glance before following Katlin's lead.

"Orion, your private pathology team is here." Katlin informed him as she walked back over to the bed in a stiff manner that was echoed in her words.

Orion turned slightly, then groaned slightly as he turned away.

Katlin went over to his bedside and immediately began a quiet, one-sided conversation with her husband, sounding very much like a mother trying to convince an uncooperative child.

"He's not feeling well today." she informed the other two without turning back to them. "Please be brief."

Analisa carefully edged forward, doing her best to get closer to the bed without coming into any contact with the other woman. Snape remained where he was, watching every movement with his right hand wrapped tightly about his wand. He knew Katlin Griss well enough to know her calm manner was belying whatever was to come. If she had suspicions about whatever they may have heard, she wasn't going to let them go without getting to the bottom of things first.

Analisa tried to maintain a cool, calm front while questioning Orion about any further aftereffects. One thing she had quickly noted was that Orion seemed to rank her visits with the same anticipation one awaits a shot in the arm. Though she doubted it had anything to do with the poison and everything to do with her patient.

Fifteen minutes later of Q&A that she could easily equate to pulling teeth, Analisa gave Orion a few gentle words of encouragement and turned back to Snape.

"He's very tired and I think that should be all we try to get for today." She stated in what she hoped was an amiable sounding tone. "I think it's best if we just let him rest."

Snape silently nodded in agreement and escorted Analisa towards the door, trying not to seem in too much of a hurry. Even out the door their problems weren't over, but it was a good start. But with only a few feet to go, a firm voice stopped them.

"Now that you've had your interview, perhaps I can have mine?"

Analisa paused, turning silently to Snape before turning back to face the woman behind her.

"Pardon?" she ask with an innocent smile.

"What did you hear?" Katlin ask, not returning one fraction of the woman's smile.

"Hear?" Analisa ask.

The voice that answered her was as cold as a blast of air straight from the artic. "If you want to play games, we'll play games."

Analisa barely even saw the woman move before she found herself pinned to the wall by the door, a hand wrapped tightly about her throat and pressing in a bit harder with each passing second.

Snape started to reach for his wand, but instead found Griss' pointed in his face.

"Touch it and I'll make your birth certificate a worthless piece of paper!"

Snape froze, watching Katlin turn her attention back to the woman she had pinned to the wall.

"Now tell me what you heard." Katlin repeated in a deceptively friendly tone. "And I might just let you live."

"Analisa shook her head. "I told you. Nothing!"

That was as far she got before the grip on her throat tightened again, cutting off any ability to speak.

"If I want lies, I'll ask Snape." Katlin hissed at her. "But you..., I thought you were an intelligent girl, Analisa. I thought you knew better than to lie to me."

Analisa tried to answer, pushing against the hand that held her in a steel grip. A choking sound came to her, which at first she thought was her own. But just as suddenly as it started, the grip on her throat let go and Analisa all but fell tot he floor, gasping for air.

"Orion?"

Analisa looked up to see Katlin running back to Orion's side, pure terror in her voice as she grabbed hold of the body as it fell to a violent seizure.

"Orion?" Katlin cried again, trying to hold him still. "What is it? Love? What's wrong?"

Analisa struggled to her feet with Snape's help and stumbled as quickly as she could back over to the man's bedside.

"Get back!" She all but pushed Katlin out of her way. "I can help him. But we have to act fast, or he stands a chance of choking that could prove fatal."

Katlin stepped back, staring in wide-eyed horror as Analisa worked several quick spells in rapid succession. With each one the seizures backed off a little bit more until the body collapsed back on the bed in exhaustion.

Katlin was back at her husband's side in seconds, smoothing his hair back from his brow as she called his name.

"He'll sleep for several hours." Analisa informed her, still rubbing her throat.

Katlin turned to her, the anxiety still in her eyes. "What happened to him. That hasn't happened before."

"But we expected it." Analisa answered her past a hard cough to clear her throat.

"Expected it?"

"The poison progressed further than we thought, Katlin." Analisa explained carefully, making sure the woman understood what she was telling her. "We've been watching for the seizures, hoping we were wrong. It's the main reason we wanted to keep him here for a few days more."

The woman's eyes narrowed. "You knew?"

"Suspected." Analisa corrected quickly. "It's not dangerous if he's careful. If you learn what to do and how to control them."

Katlin studied the woman for a few seconds. "What do you mean? He'll never recover from this? He'll always have these...these 'seizures'?"

Analisa shook her head. "He'll be susceptible to them. But he can control them if he learns how."

Katlin walked back over to her husband's bed, no longer facing the two people behind her. "And if he doesn't learn to control them," she ask quietly, "what then?"

"It's not an option, Katlin. He has to. If he has a seizure and it isn't stopped, it could kill him."

"And if you hadn't been here, he would be dead?" Came the nearly whispered question.

"We were lucky this time, Katlin. I knew what to do. Next time, he'll know what to do on his own."

Silence descended on the room like a woolen blanket, and for several minutes Katlin didn't say a word, much less move.

Her husband could have died. A freak accident she would never have been able to avert. No magic of her own, no pleading, or hoping, or knowledge she possessed could have saved him.

But for one small gift of fate, the man she loved more than her own life would have died.

Taking a deep breath, Katlin picked up the pale hand from the bed and held it tightly pressed to her body, willing her own warmth into it as she gently caressed it in her own.

"Get out." she whispered.

**Q&A**

**Family Relations **

MasterLupin:

**Well sheep don't shrink because the oils they produce make the wool water proof.**

Anyhow... Well here is my short term theory. Voldermort is hoping to get two birds with one stone. He is hoping that by slowly killing Orion he will appeal to Harry's hero complex as described in book five. Voldermort belives that Harry will come to him for help, and he Voldermort will produce the cure. However it will be near the end of the week leaving Orion recovering for a very long time, if not permently, getting him out of the way. Harry will then have agreed to help him of his own accord. So he will be forced by Voldermort into giving the secrit up. If Harry dosen't come to him, he still wins by getting rid of Orion.

I'm so sorry, Dear. I missed this one that one week.

Anyway, you were sort of on track. I don't know much about Book 5 as that I sort of skim-read it, got to the bad part and never went back. Killing off my favorite character sort of did the series in for me. But Voldemort is hoping to manipulate (not force) Harry into complying with his demand. Trust me, there's a BIG difference there and Voldemort has to step very carefully to remain within the parameters of the spell. The man is walking on fine line right now.

Orion's recovery itself is not going to take that long. But as this chapter showed, the aftereffects are more far reaching than anyone suspected. And the seizures are just the tip of the iceberg.

Harry absolutely has to help Voldemort of his own accord or Harry can never locate the wizard.

And yes, if by some unbelievable occurrence Harry had refused, Voldemort still got rid of Orion. And as far as he was concerned, BONUS!

**Well don't take it as a personal attack, I was just pointing out a inconsistancy in your story, because I thouhgt that you would care to know. I am working on a story myself not posting yet, because only 8 chapters into devlopment there are major incosistancys which are driving me up the wall.  
Anywho I predict that Orion will be saved in just the nick of time and have a long and slow recovery, and Harry will begin to regret his decision to make a deal with the devil. question: who takes care of Orion's and Analisa's children while there both out doing what it is that they do.  
On a side note I was wondering what kind of writing you do, i.e. do you write for a paper, magizine, T.V, books exc., if you would be willing to tell.**

Believe it or not, Dear, I rarely take things as personal attacks. I've been in this business far too long to let criticism, constructive or otherwise, bother me. What I object to, always have, and always will, is the inane reporting of abuse by people who use that venue for something other than it was originally intended. Consider a writer who irks someone off due to a point of view or some other such thing the reader doesn't agree with. The reader can then hound that writer, reporting them for abuse until they are banned from the site. FFN really needs to get a better grip on their abuse reporting and control it a great deal than they currently do. (PAR jumps off her soapbox.)

And I love continuity police, Dear. Keeps me on my toes.

One of the hardest things about writing a story is making it all fit together. Especially long ones. Consider that Enemies, Family Life, Family Relations, Family Ties, and subsequent shorter stories are all linked together by common threads. All of which I have to keep in mind as I sketch out story plots. Trust me that I have a score card that I refer back to from time to time to keep all the major events consistent.

Slow recovery? Not really. Just nasty aftereffects.

I'm guessing that was just a mis-type and you meant Orion and Katlin's children? Dear, what do you think Bo does with his time? It's called 'live-in baby-sitter'. The kids just love him. And when Bo is otherwise occupied, as he will be in this story, then that is what grandparents are for.

I'm willing to divulge certain things about my writing career, just not too much due to a contractual dispute still in the works.

Currently I write novels and am working on my next one. I have written for magazines and am also currently working on a television script, a new venture for me. I doubt I will ever work in journalism. Too sleazy.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Hopefully, your area will be somewhat spared after last year. Unfortunately, no one is that lucky. Your in my prayers, ducky. Update when you can. This chapter was really good. **

So far, so good! Alberto gave us five days of clouds and rain. But now we are dealing with the aftermath of that storm. Long dry spell plus lots of rain over short period usually equals sinkholes, and we're getting them.

Thanks for the prayers. Only a fool turns those down!

Skahducky:

**Did Dumbledore tell Katlin that Orion was hurt? Will Orion's kids come to visit him at any point?  
I think Harry might end up going to see Orion and run into Katlin. My speculation is that they'll talk for a little while, and Katlin won't tell Harry to do what Voldemort wants, but he'll pick up that she wants him to. After that, I'm pretty sure Harry will go along with Voldemort's plan; after all, Sirius probably didn't have any idea that when he said Harry shouldn't help Voldemort under any circumstances that he might bring about his own brother's death.  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

So sorry I missed you this one week, Dear. And such a nice review it was, too.

Yes, Dumbledore is Katlin's direct line to everything going on with her husband when she can not be there.

Have you been reading my notes? That's about as close as you can get to what happened. If you and MasterLupin ever start collaborating on second-guessing me, I might as well give it up!

But now on that last part, not quite. Harry didn't quite get any vibes that Katlin wanted him to agree to Voldemort's demands. Quite the opposite actually. Harry's decision was based on his own morals and sense of duty.

Indeed, Sirius was very short-sighted in his advice. In a later chapter, Harry does get to talk to Sirius again, and his advice is quite a bit different this time.

**Well, it definitely seems like Orion is going to get better...after all Harry only agreed to help Voldemort on the condition that Orion lives. Please update soon!**

BINGO! Have a gold star, Dear! (Gold star that keeps getting erased every time I try to download it with a story.)

I have often said I never put anything in a story that isn't relevant to that story...or at least I try not to. Harry's edict wasn't by chance. He was covering his bases with Voldemort. His helping Voldemort find the wizard in the north is contingent on Orion living. And actually, if you go back and look at that chapter, Voldemort more or less did himself in there. He was the one, not Harry, who laid down the parameters of their bargain. He was the one who spelled out that Harry would help him based on whether Orion lives or dies. Harry's only stipulation was that Voldemort provide the cure, not if it worked or not. Voldemort did that all by himself.

All reviews are as of 06/18/2006.

And remember;

To all you Dad's out there, and especially to my own, Happy Father's Day. Hope it's a good one.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: I know I am late. It's been a REALLLLLLLLLLY bad last two weeks for me.

Also, I would love to tell you guys about my birthday and all the incidents attached to one of the most unusual days I've ever had, but I do not wish to risk being reported for 'abuse' again someone who can't simply skip over what they don't want to read. But it has proved one of my longest running theories to be true once more. It is small-minded people that tend to ruin things for the rest of us.

Oh well.

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: LESSONS**

Voldemort sat in his apartments, staring ahead of him at nothing imparticular as he absently tapped his foot against the floor.

Why couldn't things ever be simple? Why did everything that came at him have to be a challenge?

'Boring life otherwise.' he reprimanded himself with a slight smile. And his life had certainly been anything but boring so far.

He leaned back and steepled his fingers in front of him. They would be leaving soon to find this wizard in the north, he and Potter. Now that was sure to be an interesting journey. What was he suppose to do to keep a teenaged boy entertained? The trip was bound to take a few days. He doubted they would be able to apparate to the location, or travel by broom. Everything he could surmise about the situation indicated the best way to move was to stay in contact with the ground. The spell had done everything to indicate that except spell it out.

Maybe he could take Figg along. The thought brought an unaccustomed smile to his face. He quickly let it go. She could handle the boy. Keep him amused and out of his hair when he didn't need him. That would be her purpose. Nothing more.

Nothing more than a distraction he seriously didn't need.

Voldemort shook his head. No. It was better to keep the numbers low.

But for now he had other problems to deal with. He stood and gave the body a good stretch before heading for the door. Black kept himself in good shape. That was a plus for him in what lay ahead. All except for that blasted limp, the body was hard, lean, strong, and young. A serious upgrade from his last one.

He sighed as he stepped into the hallway. No point in putting things off any further. No unpleasant task was ever made shorter by avoiding it.

Within a few minute he was at Dumbledore's office. He pushed open the door without knocking. Closed doors irritated him to no end. No door was closed to him at the lair and he saw no reason for the trend to end.

To no great surprise he found the old man in.

"A moment of your time." he stated, shoving the door closed behind him.

**(Scene change, put in because breaks in paragraphs are eliminated for some reason in the download.)**

Harry arrived in the Headmaster's office early the next morning in answer to the summons he had gotten earlier. To his surprise, seated in the office was not only Dumbledore, but Professor Lupin as well.

Harry took the seat next to Lupin, who greeted him with a friendly smile.

"Harry," Dumbledore started as soon as he was seated, "Voldemort has come to us with a most unusual, but beneficial offer."

'He's leaving.' popped into Harry's mind almost at once. But he stayed silent, continuing to stare at the Headmaster expectantly.

"Voldemort came to see me the other day," Dumbledore explained, "and made a good point in that, whereas you are very advanced in magic use for your age, you still know very little about defense."

Suddenly Harry thought he saw the reason for Professor Lupin's presence. Dumbledore was going to have Lupin tutor him in defense skills before they left. Well, that would be all right. Lupin was a good teacher, and the man could have a barn sale on patients and still have enough left over for a classroom full of students. And he had always liked his defense classes.

"Therefore he has offered to teach you." Dumbledore added, breaking into Harry's train of thought.

Harry started slightly at the words. "What?"

Dumbledore looked slightly amused at Harry's reaction. But his expression quickly returned to a pensive stare.

"I know it seems very...'out of character' for Voldemort, Harry. But despite whatever reservations we may have about the offer, nor do I think it is one we can afford to pass on."

"You want me to let Voldemort teach me defense against the dark arts?" Harry asked in disbelieve.

Well, there was certainly the last teacher he ever thought he would have for that particular subject.

"It's not an offer to be taken lightly, Harry." Dumbledore explained. "I doubt a wizard alive today knows as much about the dark arts as Voldemort. And naturally he would also know a great deal about defense against them."

"And suppose this is just an excuse for him to be able to take a few free shots at me?" Harry asked, thinking about how many really good curses Voldemort must know that he could accidentally teach Harry the wrong spell to defend against while he was loading up his wand.

"While due to the circumstances, I don't think that is very likely, Harry," Dumbledore explained, "I am certainly not looking to place you in harms way. Therefore, Professor Lupin has offered, and Voldemort has agreed, to attend these 'lessons' with you."

Harry turned a questioning look to his former teacher.

"But why can't you just teach me?" Harry asked him hopefully.

Lupin gave him a pleasant smile. "Whereas I may know a great deal about defense against the dark arts, Harry," he explained, "I assure you I am nowhere near as proficient in the subject as Voldemort. And think into the future. Voldemort seems solely focused on the moment. What if one of these spells he teaches you inadvertently turns out to be the very spell you could one day turn against him? A spell that no one else could possibly have taught you? As Dumbledore says, it really is an opportunity we can't afford to pass up."

Harry turned his attention slowly back to the Headmaster.

"And what if he's lying?" Harry asked. "What if he simply uses this as an opportunity to kill me?"

Dumbledore fixed him with a very serious stare. "I'm not going to sit here, Harry, and tell you that that is something he may not try." The old wizard said. "But so far Voldemort has held to his word. He hasn't tried to harm a single person in this castle."

"Except Orion." Harry put in quickly.

"There was never any proof Voldemort was responsible for Mr. Black's condition, Harry." Dumbledore reminded him, though it gave Harry little comfort. "And so far, in all he has told us about this other wizard, one thing seems fairly constant. This man could be a very serious threat to you should you have to face him. And should something happen to Voldemort, and he can't be there to help protect you, you will need to know how to do that for yourself. And in that, I think Voldemort's lessons could be invaluable. Past even all that, don't forget that you are the hinge-pin to Voldemort's plans at the moment. He needs you alive and unharmed to find this wizard."

"So you think I should do it?" Harry asked tentatively.

"I'm not going to make your mind up for you, Harry." Dumbledore replied. "This offer was presented to you by Voldemort. You are the only one who can accept or refuse it. My words were only meant to express the benefits to you of the offer since I was fairly certain you would only see the negative aspects of it."

Harry turned his stare to Lupin, who quickly shook his head.

"The offer was made to you, Harry. Accept or refuse. The choice is yours."

Harry turned his attention finally to the floor. Although it wasn't offering up any opinions, it gave him something to passively stare at while he thought. Dumbledore made some good points. There wasn't likely a wizard alive who knew more about the dark arts or the defense against them than Voldemort did. And the spells he could learn most other wizards probably didn't even know. And Voldemort had been more or less on his best behavior since Harry had met him. He had been...almost pleasant, it seemed, to Harry.

But what if it was all just some trap? Some elaborate ruse to allow Voldemort a few good shots at him free of charge. Voldemort could even possibly kill him and blame it on a spell Harry didn't deflect correctly.

'But wouldn't that defeat the purpose?' Harry asked himself, remembering Dumbledore's words. Voldemort needed him alive or he would never be able to find this wizard.

Sighing to himself, Harry finally turned back to Dumbledore.

"All right." He said. "I agree. But the first indication something isn't right, and I'll use Sirius' spell again. And this time I'll make sure he doesn't come back."

Dumbledore gave him a kind smile. I doubt it will come to that, Harry." He replied. "The protection spells Orion originally put in place are still there, and they will actively keep Voldemort from harming you directly. But just in case," he added, turning briefly to the man seated beside Harry, "Mr. Lupin will be overseeing your lessons."

**(Scene Change.)**

Early the next morning Harry found himself collected by Lupin and taken down to a room situated far from any of the normal classrooms. Voldemort was already in the room when they arrived.

Standing in the middle of the room with his back to them, Voldemort was fending off a series of small orbs that dodged and bobbed about him. Each one occasionally firing off a streak of light that Voldemort easily deflected. The orbs increased their attacks, firing off spells more rapidly. But the older wizard seemed to easily deflect each one. So easily, in fact, it seemed to Harry that half the time he wasn't even paying that much attention to what he was doing. An attack would come from behind as he was fending off one from the front. But no sooner had he dispatched the one in front of him than he would turn, his wand already out and the start of a spell already on his lips as he faced the new encounter.

And so it went time and time again as Harry watched in mute fascination. It was rare to see a wizard of Voldemort's skill displaying it so prominently or so deftly. He and Lupin watched for several more minutes as Voldemort quickly dispensed with each of the orbs before eventually turning his attention to them.

"You're on time, Potter. Very good." he declared. "I hate be kept waiting."

Harry simply stood his ground, saying nothing, waiting to see what these 'lessons' Voldemort had in mind would encompass.

He didn't have long to wait.

"Were you paying attention before?" the older wizard ask.

Harry didn't have to ask 'to what'. He simply nodded in response.

"Good." Voldemort replied with a mirthless smile. A small flick of his wand and the orbs reappeared. "Your turn."

For the next three hours Harry was put through a series of challenges against the small orbs, deflecting one spell after another. He noted that the spells were coming at him considerably slower than they had when Voldemort had faced the small orbs, something he kept in his mind so he would never underestimate the man. There was no question Voldemort was a superior wizard when it came to spells. Special circumstances aside, the man was a force to be reckoned with.

Several times during the lessons, Harry chanced a glance over to where Lupin had been standing. A drop in his attention that usually cost him a sting of pain wherever the little orbs shot managed to hit. But he noted that Voldemort was now standing next to Lupin, and they were engaged in some sort of discussion, occasionally pointing to him as he deflected a spell. But it seemed that Voldemort was the one doing most of the talking.

Like a strike out of the blue it suddenly dawned on Harry that Lupin might not be there just to watch over him. Nor that Dumbledore's choice might have been haphazard at all. Lupin was likely the most knowledgeable person in the castle after Voldemort on defending against dark magic. It was entirely likely that Dumbledore had sent Lupin there not just to watch over him, but to learn what he could from Voldemort himself. Information that Lupin could assimilate and store better than anyone else.

Distracted by the idea for a few seconds, Harry found his wandering thoughts were going to cost him dearly. A sudden flash of light brought him back to his resent situation, but too late.

The spell caught him right in the chest and knocked him back against the wall with a solid thump.

"Enough!" A voice bellowed through his aching head.

Voldemort came over and stood towering over Harry as he sat on the floor, his face showing nothing but anger at Harry's failure.

"This isn't a game, Potter!" He stated sharply. "Your reaction time hasn't improved much since we started."

"I'm tired." Harry hated the sound of the words even as he said them. It sounded pathetically like a whine even to his ears. "We've been at it for hours. And that's the first direct hit I took." He tried to defend himself a little better.

But Voldemort seemed unimpressed. "What do you want? A gold star for your efforts?" The older wizard sneered at him. "These aren't your classes, Harry. What I am trying to teach you is deadly serious. It isn't just a question of a passing grade now. When we face this wizard, the lessons I hope to teach you may well save your life. You have to understand that. Understand the gravity of the situation and of what you'll be facing."

Harry started up at the man before him. It was becoming easier and easier for him to look on that face and not see his godfather. Something that was, in fact, starting to worry him a little bit more each time it became easier.

"I think I have a pretty good idea of what I'm up against." Harry replied, fighting the subtle fear inside of him as he started up at the man towering over him, trying to keep his voice level. "After all, I've faced off with you four times now..., and won."

Harry thought for a moment he had reached Voldemort's limit of patience as the man closed the few precious feet between them and crouched down in front of him. From the corner of his vision, Harry could still see Lupin, who made no move whatsoever to intervene. But nor had the stance he had adopted since entering the room lessened one bit either. One that Harry couldn't help but compare to a wolf standing at the ready for the least sign of danger.

"So," Voldemort asked in a quieter tone, but one that had lost none of its venom, "was that your retaliation? You little 'dig' back at me? Your revenge?" The same mirthless smile came back to those lips. "So tell me, was it as sweet, and as satisfying, as you thought it would be?"

Harry held to Voldemort's stare as he thought over what the older wizard had ask. And he was a little surprised at the answer he found.

"No." He replied quietly.

Harry watched the strangest look come over the face of the man before him. An almost neutral expression that hid just a touch of regret in it.

"It never is, Harry." Voldemort replied in a low, confidential whisper.

Harry watched the man straighten back up, his gaze never once leaving him.

"We'll do it again." Voldemort stated, staring down at him. "And we'll do it until I'm satisfied you've learned something from it."

"Not today." Came a voice from the sidelines.

Voldemort and Harry both turned at once to see Lupin walking over to them.

"Is there some problem, Wer...Lupin?" Voldemort asked.

"The hit from that spell was very powerful." Lupin stated, stepping right up to the man with no trace of fear in any of his movements. "Harry needs time to recover before he takes a hit like that again or he could be seriously hurt the next time. Something I'm sure you would like to avoid." Lupin added with a slight smile.

Voldemort looked the man over once, then turned back to the teenager still sitting on the ground. "It appears your wet nurse has decided you are done for the day, Potter." He stated in a voice that could not be mistaken for anything but contempt. "We'll start again tomorrow...when you're feeling up to it."

Harry sighed quietly as he watched the man turn on his heel and all but storm out of the room. Only the appearance of a hand waving in front of his face snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Come on then." Lupin offered with a smile. "Time for your 'wet nurse' to take you to lunch."

Harry allowed Lupin to pull him to his feet.

"I can't see how anyone thinks this is going to work." Harry stated as they headed down the corridor. "He hates me."

"A feeling I'm sure you don't share?" Lupin asked.

Harry quickly decided he was better off not answering the question.

"Would you like an impartial observation, Harry?"

"All right."

"Voldemort had several opportunities back there to allow shots at you even I would have had a hard time calling foul to or not. The only time he seemed to let things get overly aggressive was when he started to get aggravated with what he felt was your 'slow learning'."

"So?" Harry ask as he hurried along Lupin's side down the corridor.

"The point is, Harry, he appears to honestly be trying to teach you. He reacts just like any teacher would with a student...on a very basic level. He wants you to learn. And when you don't, he gets frustrated. My suggestion would be that you stop worrying about what his real motive is and concentrate on what he's trying to teach you. It could prove to be very valuable."

"That's a new tune." Harry commented.

"I told you the observation was impartial." Lupin reminded him. "It isn't meant to favor one side or the other."

"It sounded to me like you were speaking fully in Voldemort's defense."

"I'm speaking in the defense of you're better judgment, Harry." Lupin replied a bit firmer, stopping as he turned to face the boy next to him. "What Voldemort is trying to teach you could save your life when nothing else can." Lupin laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not trying to be Voldemort's advocate, Harry. And I'm not trying to belittle your feelings about any of this. I'm trying to get you to lower some of your defenses that are based solely on your hatred of the man and get you to concentrate on other, more valid ones."

"Hating him isn't valid?"

"Not right now it isn't, no. Harry, none of us wants the situation we're in. But we are in it. And the only way any of us may survive what we're facing is to work together. No matter how much we may dislike the company. Now, my main purpose for being with you now is to watch and make sure Voldemort doesn't hurt you. If he tries, I'm there to stop him, all right? All you have to do is pay attention to what he's trying to teach you and learn. If it helps, remember that somewhere behind those eyes, Sirius is watching you too. Maybe he can't encourage you along, but don't give up trying to make him proud."

Harry thought about what Lupin told him, then nodded slightly. "All right." He replied.

**Q&A**

**FAMILY RELATIONS**

MasterLupin:

**Concerning the short term of the story with Orion, I think I was close, the term long and slow recovery with me is similar to permanent recovery, which by the sound of it is acutlay going to be a lot worse then you have let us belive at this point. I think Snape and Analisa more Analisa are relising that there is more to Orion and Katlin then meets the eye. Are the grandparents of Orion and Katlin's children aware of what they do for a living? Why haven't we seen them in the story, you mentioned earlyer in the story that they were estatic that Sirius would settle down and adopt a child, and that they were very excited, practicaly banging down the door to meet Harry. Also it just ocured to me that Harry hasn't thought about the idea of having a family recently, it has been completly overshadowed by curent events in the story.  
As for my thoughts on what will happen next I'm thinking that Harry will willingly coperate with Voldermort, and that when Orion findout what Harry agreed to (a deal with the devel) he'll be pissed, posibly more concered about Harry's well being then he is now.**

Suffice to say, Dear, that the long term implications of Orion's condition have yet to be seen.

Indeed, Analisa is very perceptive about the actual situation between Katlin and Orion. But she is also smart enough to know that trying to use that information against Katlin would likely be a bad move.

OH! Background questions! I love background questions!

Keep in mind that for grandparents you only have Orion's parents. Katlin's parents are both deceased. And yes, Orion's parents are very well aware of what their little bundle of joy does for a living. They are also aware of who he is married to and what she does for a living.

You haven't actually met Orion's parents yet. But they are interesting people. The reason they haven't been in the story is because currently they aren't part of the story line. You do get to meet them, but that is in a separate story altogether. And they would be ecstatic to see their younger son married and settled down. After all, Orion is only a few years older than Sirius and he is already married and has five kids. Sirius has some big time catching up to do.

Harry indeed hasn't thought much about the fact he is now part of a family that includes grandparents, an uncle, and cousins. But he really hasn't had much time to think about it either.

There is little chance Orion won't find out about Harry's deal with Voldemort. What remains to be seen is his response to it.

**FEVER**

bookworm:

**uhh.. just to inform you, HIs name is not Remes Lupin it is remus lupin you know like the old greeck legend... just wanted to inform you also that this stroy rocks!**

I do appreciate the praise, Dear. And yes, I am well aware of the error. It has been pointed out several times. I have no idea what I was thinking about that I not only made the mistake to begin with, but kept repeating it throughout the story.

All reviews are as of 07042006.

And remember:

(In honor of the day I had on my birthday)

Some days you're the bug,

Other days you're the windshield.


	30. Chapter 30

AN: Explanation time, folks. Three things.

One: one of the reasons I've been missing postings lately is because my father's modem bit the big one. We were out of commission for several weeks.

Two: before you read this chapter and then form the 'let's lynch Orion Black' fan club, I would like to point out the man was just looking out after his family and doing his job.

Three: Arabella is not a slut nor was she looking to make trouble. Things just happen. Try to remember what young love was like when you were back in high school. I know that a reach for some of us, (especially PAR), but still try.

And with that said,

as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Relations as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: LESSONS-PART TWO**

The next day proved itself to be as different as Lupin could have hoped. Harry went at every task Voldemort set on him with enthusiasm and determination. He rarely failed. And when he did, he came right back and tried again, keeping on himself until he got it right.

What surprised Lupin was Voldemort's reaction to the teenager's changed attitude. For every failure, Voldemort held back saying anything, allowing Harry to try again on his own. Successes were not met with any great enthusiasm, and while Voldemort always seemed to struggle to have something good to say, he still never failed to do so before going to the next lesson.

Several hours later, Lupin again called a halt to the lessons.

"It's been a long day." He replied to Voldemort's demand that they continue. "Harry has other lessons as well. He has to keep up with his school work."

"There was improvement over yesterday." Voldemort said as he banished each of the tiny orbs that Harry had been matching spells against. "If you keep up at this rate, you might be mildly prepared at least for what we could face by the time we leave."

"When are we leaving?" Harry ask quickly. He had spent a great deal of time thinking about the upcoming journey, but he had very little to form any idea out of. He knew they were going to try to find the wizard in the north, but he had no idea how they were suppose to find him. He was suppose to be the other wizard's secretkeeper, but he had no idea what it was he was suppose to know about the man. Much less where he was or how to go about finding him. At this point, he felt Voldemort knew more about the man's location than he did.

Voldemort seemed to give the question little attention. "Perhaps a week. Maybe less. The time we leave depends on quite a few factors, Potter."

"Like what?"

"None that concern you right now." Was the only answer he got as Voldemort headed out of the room.

The door closed behind the dark wizard with a resounding echo, leaving Harry and Lupin standing alone in the middle of the room.

"He gets crankier every day." Lupin observed causally. "I mean, even more so than usual lately."

"Maybe he's actually worried about this journey." Harry suggested. "Orion doesn't think he's telling us the whole truth about what's going on. Maybe he knows something and he's just not telling us."

Lupin shrugged as he guided Harry out of the room. "Possible, I suppose." He said. "But right now I'm more interested in what's on the menu than what's on the dark one's mind."

Harry held back slightly. "I was going to stop by the infirmary." He said. "I wanted to see how Orion was doing."

Lupin shrugged again. "All right, Harry. But not too long. He's still recovering."

Once in the corridor Harry walked along in silence for a few minutes before turning to his former teacher. "Can I ask you something?" He said.

"I don't see why not." Came the as usual casual answer. Harry supposed that was one of the reasons he liked talking to Lupin so much. The man seemed to approach any subject with a casual air that could place the most uptight person at ease.

"Why don't Sirius and Orion get along?"

Lupin stopped in his tracks as he turned to the teenager beside him. "What makes you think they don't?"

"Well," Harry began, "because for starters, everyone says they don't. And neither will talk about the other. At least not for very long. And if I ever mentioned Sirius to Orion, he gets all stiff and formal, answers in monosyllable words and clams up right after. I mean, I don't dare ask him anything about when Sirius was in Azkaban..."

"Don't!" Lupin interjected abruptly. "For magic's sake, never bring that up in front of him. It's a very sore subject with Orion."

"But he believes Sirius was innocent, doesn't he?" Harry ask quickly, but not sure if he was going to like the answer.

Lupin started back down the hall. "He not only believes it, he says he knows it for a fact. But he's never elaborated how."

"Is Sirius going to Azkaban part of what's going on between them?" Harry ask, hurrying to keep up.

Lupin shook his head. "The trouble started long before that, Harry." Lupin answered.

Harry waited for him to continue, but when he didn't, he pressed on. "Then what started it?"

Lupin seemed to consider the question. "I suppose," he finally answered, "they both did."

"Both?"

"Orion and his brother, Harry, for being brothers, couldn't be more different if they tried. Surely you've seen that for yourself. And I suppose the trouble started there. Orion was always a...callous person. But with good reason. From the time he got to Hogwart's, he had to fight for a place here. When he was originally sorted, he was placed in Slytherin, so the story goes."

"Orion was a Slytherin!" Harry all but gasp in astonishment. "Well, that explains a..."

"Originally!" Lupin cut him off. "Talon Black, Orion's father, got his son resorted somehow. Something that has never been done to my knowledge. The second time, the hat placed the boy in Gryffindor."

Harry considered the information. "But how is that possible?" He ask. "That's like the hat sorting two totally different people."

"The hat never gave an explanation that I heard of." Lupin continued. "But it made it's decision and that was that as far as Talon Black was concerned."

"So what happened?"

"Orion spent the next seven years trying to carve out a nitch for himself. He never claimed either house. Stated that both treated him like an outsider and that was fine by him. The boy he was then literally buried himself in his studies. You only found him in two places. The classroom or the library. And it paid off to some degree. Orion became one of the best wards casters the school has ever turned out. And he could defend against any challenger at spell casting as well. Soon, no one dared oppose him."

"Did the Gryffindors really treat him that badly?"

Lupin shook his head. "From what I could tell, not at all. Just the opposite. Orion was only a few years ahead of Sirius. So he was here at least a few years with us. The other Gryffindors tried to make him feel welcome. To include him in things. But Orion just kept building that wall between him and everyone else higher and thicker each year. He had one of the biggest chips on his shoulder I had ever seen. And I never thought anyone would ever get through to him...until someone did."

Harry looked up at the man. "Who?"

Lupin paused for a moment. "A very sweet, kind-hearted girl named Arabella Figg."

"Arabella?"

Lupin nodded. "Orion was absolutely nuts about her his last year here. Dated her exclusively. Warned every other male away from her. And that, in part, was probably what came between them. Arabella use to confide in Lily, who told James, who told Sirius, who told...well, you get the picture. She said he was suffocating her. He never tried to cut her off from any of us, but he always insisted on being every where she was. Like he was guarding her against any other guy getting too near. Unfortunately, he never saw where the real danger lie. Arabella started to resent his over possessiveness, and she broke things off with him. But almost as soon as she stopped seeing Orion, she took up with Sirius." Lupin read the boy's expression and cut his thoughts short. "I don't think anyone planned anything, Harry. It just happened. Maybe because Arabella was spending so much time with us trying to get some breathing room from Orion. But you know what Sirius was like then. I'm sure you've heard the stories. Tall tales and all. He was fun, out-going, gregarious. Everything his brother wasn't. And everything Arabella was. They just clicked."

"What did Orion do?"

"When back to building his wall from what I saw. He just worked to make it higher and thicker after that. Like he was determined never to let anyone in again."

"But he's married." Harry suddenly remembered. "I saw the wedding ring. And he said he was married."

"And I don't know whether to admire her or pity her." Lupin replied.

Harry thought of something else that had been praying on his mind along those lines. "Who is he married to?" He ask. "I never saw a single picture of her at the house, and Orion never mentioned her name."

Lupin shrugged. "I have no idea. I'm sure someone knows. Poor girl must get out once in a while. But Orion is about the most private person I know. His kids were almost all teenagers before I even heard he had any."

Harry's ears perked up. "Kids? He has kids?"

"Five, I heard."

Harry thought back to the house, pondering the fact he had never seen one scrap of evidence any child had ever lived there. But the house had been so large, he considered it may have very well housed an orphanage and he wouldn't have likely known it.

"So he and Sirius both dated Arabella." Harry came back to the original subject. "Is that why they don't get along?"

"That's one of the reasons, Harry." Lupin replied. "That and the fact they're about as different as night and day."

"That's it? And old school crush and personality differences?"

"Arabella, as you'll recall, is not 'an old school crush', Harry." Lupin said mildly. "Sirius was going to marry her. Still is, I hear. And personality differences, when strong enough, and people clash often enough, can cause long lasting issues."

"But they're brothers." Harry pointed out. "I'd give anything to have a sibling. And I sure wouldn't let something like that get between us."

"As that you never had a sibling, Harry, it's hard for you to say what might drive a wedge between you. And for the record, and Sirius' defense, no, that isn't all there is to the rift between them. There was one more thing. Probably the nail in the coffin, as they say."

"What?"

Lupin sighed as he came to a halt. "You know that Sirius, James, and Peter found out about my Lycanthropy."

Harry nodded.

"Well, someone else found out too."

Harry stared up at the man in front of him, disbelief taking over his expression as understanding dawned on him. "Orion found out?"

Lupin nodded. "Not until after he left school. And then only as part of his work. When Orion started with the Unspeakables, one of the things he did was track werewolves."

"He told me about that."

"I'll bet he didn't tell you all of it." Lupin guessed. "But as that I wasn't 'registered', I can only assume he found out the way the others did. He simply observed and put the pieces together."

"Then what?"

"Shortly before we were to graduate, things had actually seemed to get better between Orion and Sirius. Orion even came to the school a few time to visit his brother. They sit around and talk, or go to town..., things like that. No arguments. No fights. They seemed to finally find that middle ground they'd been looking for for so long. But then one day, Sirius came back from a trip to town alone. He literally stormed into the common room, headed up the stairs without a word and locked himself in the dorm room. He stayed there the rest of the day. Won't let us in. Won't talk to us. Nothing."

"What happened?"

"Apparently all the visits, the solicitous nature, the show of brotherly concern had all been ground work Orion was laying."

"For what?"

"To force Sirius into a choice."

"What choice."

Lupin stared down at the boy. "His friends or his family."

"What?"

"When Sirius finally talked to us...or better, when we managed to pry the story out of him, he told us Orion had taken him to town that day and sat him down and laid out a most interesting choice. He told his little brother he knew what I was, that he had proof, and that Sirius could either stop hanging around with 'the werewolf and his gang', or Orion would go to their father and explain to him the company his younger son was keeping."

Harry's mouth fell open.

Lupin pushed it closed for him. "Pretty much our reaction too." he supplied. "We had never much cared for Orion, but we never disliked him either. He was Sirius' older brother. So we were friendly to him. Or as much as anyone could be to Orion. Mostly he either kept to himself or hung about with his friend Charly Misser. But this! None of us saw this coming. To Sirius it was the end of the world. And he went for worst case scenario so fast, we were all left in the dust. He insisted that if Orion told their father he'd be pulled out of school no matter how close graduation was. And his father had relatives all over the world. He'd likely be shipped off somewhere where we'd never see each other again.

He was absolutely miserable for days. Which did nothing for any of us. With Sirius, misery didn't just love company, it positively demanded it. We could either find a solution or all suffer together."

"So what did you do?"

"Actually, 'we' didn't do anything." Lupin replied. "Arabella was the one who came to Sirius' rescue. She was the one who went to Orion and got him to call off the dogs, as it were. She told him she was my friend as well, and did that make her part of my 'gang'? And if it did, then she'd rather be friends with me and mine than be any part of his narrow-minded crowd. Whatever else she said we have no idea. That was all she told us. She had cornered him out by the lake and spent a good part of an hour going at it with him. But we couldn't hear anything. No matter what spells we tried, Orion apparently countered all of them without a thought. So whatever they had to say to each other, they're the only ones who know. But whatever it was, Arabella came back looking like an owl with her feathers ruffled good. All she said was that there wasn't a problem any more. She didn't even tell Lily anything."

"But its still between them." Harry ventured.

"Very much so. Sirius feels his brother betrayed him where it counted the most. He didn't trust him to make his own decisions. And when he didn't choose the way Orion wanted, Orion tried to force his hand. Sirius never forgave that."

"But Orion isn't...I mean he's not..."

"He's not a bad person, Harry, if that's what you're getting at." Lupin supplied. "Even I can understand his position. He didn't really know me. All he saw was a werewolf, and he was trying to protect his little brother. Unfortunately, he just went about it the wrong way."

"Well that certainly explains why they don't get along."

"It's not so much that they don't get along, Harry." Lupin corrected. "Orion loves his little brother very much. And I'm sure if he was pressed into a corner with a wand to his throat, you might get Sirius to admit the same thing. It just that neither can ever seem to get to the point of admitting it to the other. And just o I know I've said it, and I can hold it over you later if need be," Lupin added, "nothing I just told you was for public broadcast."

Harry nodded quickly.

"All right then," Lupin said, herding him on down the hallway, "let go see what's on the menu."

**Q&A**

**FAMILY RELATIONS**

MasterLupin:

**well sorry to hear that your having a rough time. I'm going to keep this one simple. Voldermort will try to turn Harry into a weapon against the wizard in the north. During the training Harry will become more perceptive of his situation, concerning his life. He will also make the trip with Voldermort alown. Orion will be reciving more sesiurs(sp) and no one will be able to find a cure.**

Thank you, Dear. I am getting over it.

Bad week for you too? I mean, you usually get at least one right.

Sorry though. 'No go' on this one. But PAR feels better. I was beginning to seriously worry I was becoming too predictable. At least I can still throw the odd curve ball at you guys.

Voldemort has no plans to use Harry as any sort of weapon against the wizard in the north. All I will say on that subject is, do you really think Voldemort is going into this without a plan in mind? Knowing how much he hates just making things up as he goes along.

Next, Harry and Voldemort are going alone? Can't answer that one. Too much story line involved.

Orion's seizures are now a part of his life. He can only hope to control them. There is no cure.

Feel free to try again, Dear. I really love your theories. If I didn't already have this story mapped out, I could write a book off of them.

Skahducky:

**I'm looking forward to seeing more of Voldemort teaching Harry Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ever since J.K.Rowling revealed that Voldemort wanted the DADA position shortly after graduating from Hogwarts, I've wondered what type of teacher he would have been and if he wouldn't have gone dark if Dumbledore offered him even a small position at Hogwarts. I guess you'll be able to show one version of the type of teacher he'd be, though I guess it'll be different than if he started teaching just a year or so out of Hogwarts because he's definitely a much darker person now than he was then.**

I claim ignorance here. Having not read the last book (I assume this is where this piece of information came out), and only skimmed Book V, I had no idea about that. Hey! Great minds think a like! Go me!

Honestly though, I had no idea that had been in the books.

Actually, Dear, if your looking for something that would show what sort of person Voldemort could have been, you're really looking at this whole story. That's a large part of its premise. Remove the dark side and what sort of person would you have left? That's really what you're dealing with here. Voldemort is still Voldemort, but he's just a bit more tempered now due to the influence of Sirius' side of his personality. And all in all, I find it a very interesting concept. Which is mainly why I wrote this story.

Heksie:

**YOUR TIME LINES JUST FEELS TO LONG. BUT YUO DID EXPLAINED IT BEFORE.**

Interesting name, Dear.

Actually, I don't know that I ever explained the time line before, but I'll grant you, yes, things do seem a bit out of sorts there. And it is difficult to stay in line with that. I mean, Family Life ended with an undetermined time line (my saving grace), so I was able to manipulate things a little with Family Relations. But still I am facing the start of school within a few short days and they still haven't even left. Based on those facts, you can bet Harry is going to get some 'tutoring on the road', as it were.

CelticHeiressFiona:

I try to at least once a week on Sundays, but I have been having some trouble lately, as mentioned in the AN's above.

**FAMILY LIFE**

Heksie:

Still like the name.

Well, the good news is, you found the sequel.

The other good news is, there is no bad news.

I'm glad you liked my portrayal of Harry. I was simply not into Rowling's 'bad ass Harry' from Book V and decided to go with the sweet, slightly naive boy we had all come to love and adore.

All reviews are as of 07/30/2006.

And remember;

It's the end of July, folks, and Florida has yet to still see a real hurricane. So, as things seem to go, this tends to prelude one heck of a Fall season for us. Be prepared for delays.


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Sorry to miss last week. Had family in for the whole week. And it was birthdays, so I was sort of forced into attendance. It's not that I don't like my family, I just hate large groups of people squashed around a table.

You were also lucky to get anything this week. I caught a cold this week, and whereas I don't get sick often, when I do I'm an absolute two year old about it. I don't want to work. I don't want to get up in the morning, and I sure as heck don't feel like being very creative. But I felt bad about missing last week, and guilt is a great motivator.

Anyway,

as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Look here, folks. It's long. It takes up room. And if you haven't read it the other twenty-four times I've posted it, you aren't likely to start now, now are you?

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: PILLOW TALK**

It had already been a long day when Arabella finally got back to her room in the castle. Like most days, she had spent the majority of it in the library taking over Orion's research until he was able to resume it himself.

Even in her school days she had never imagined there were so many books and so many more spells that all covered one particular area. It may all start out as one simple area to research, but it quickly branched out, and before you knew it, your small twig had become a very large tree.

Arabella sighed as she closed the door to her bedroom and leaned against the door, looking forward to a long, hopefully peaceful night.

"And its about time!" An irritated voice slammed the door on her hopes of a peaceful night.

Arabella's eyes shot open.

Laying comfortably on her bed, with a book balanced on his chest, was Voldemort.

"What in the...GET OUT!" Arabella all but yelled at him. This was not what she needed after the day she had had.

Voldemort looked up, totally unaffected by her tone. "What?"

"Get! Out!"

"Why?" he ask mildly.

"Why? WHY?" Arabella could feel herself rapidly approaching a stage where the man's life was truly in danger.

"I'm not suppose to be seen in your room? Who would be suspicious? You and Black are engaged to be married. Black did propose, right?"

"We are. He has. You're not. Get out."

"Not until we've had a little talk." Voldemort stated, laying the book to one side as he pulled himself up off the bed.

"About what?" Arabella asked in the same low, dangerous tone.

Voldemort indicated the sofa set against one wall. "Take a seat, dispel some of the anger, and I'll tell you."

"I'll keep my anger if it's all the same to you."

"Fine. At least sit down then."

"Voldemort, I am tired. Its been a long day. I don't have time for your...talks right now."

"So, nothing concerning your godson would interest you then?"

Arabella's attention immediately refocused on the man. "Harry? Has something happened?"

"That boy is getting ready to embark on a very dangerous journey, Arabella."

Arabella narrowed her eyes at him. "I haven't been under a rock for the past two weeks, Voldemort." she snapped back. "I do know what's going on here."

"Do you?" the man all but smiled at her. But there was enough of a smirk in his tone to irritate her. "Do you honestly have any idea what your precious godson is going to be up against?"

"Up against? You said all he needed to do was lead you to this wizard. That you would deal with the man. What are you talking about now 'what Harry's going to be up against'?"

"What did you think?" Voldemort ask, pacing the room now as he answered her. "Did you think this would be some walk in a park? This wizard is likely going to do everything in his power to stop us. And he has a great deal of it to draw on. And should anything happen to me, that power he is going to be directing could very well find itself aimed right at your little godson."

Arabella didn't like the way things were sounding suddenly. "Why should something happen to you?" she ask. "I thought you had a plan? A way to defeat this wizard."

"And unforeseen things happen." he replied with a mirthless smile.

Arabella fell down onto the sofa. "What things?"

"Are you willing to listen to me now?"

Arabella paused for a moment, a hundred different things running through her mind of what could possibly be wrong. All of them coming back to something having happened to Sirius. Slowly she nodded, steeling herself up to hear the worst.

"There have been some problems I haven't anticipated."

"What problems?"

"Things that may prevent me from being able to adequately protect the boy."

"Stop talking in circles and get to the point!"

Voldemort stopped his pacing and turned to face her. "I think...something may have gone wrong with the spell."

All of her worst fears crowed into the forefront of her brain. "Sirius?" she whispered. "Has something happened to Sirius?"

Voldemort frowned. "Black is the least of my worries right now."

What little sympathy she was starting to feel for the man vanished. "Well he is at the forefront of mine!" She stated. "If he has been hurt..."

"Black is fine." Voldemort waved her off. "I promise you." he added in a tone that caught her attention. He hadn't responded to her anger by meeting it with his own. He had instead, seemed to understand her concern for someone she loved and given her the assurance she seemed to need that everything was all right in that regard at least.

"All right, then," she replied in a good deal calmer voice. "If it isn't Sirius, then what's wrong?"

Voldemort took back to his pacing. "For the past several days, I've noticed...changes...in my abilities."

"Abilities?" she ask. "You mean in your magic?"

Voldemort paused in his pacing long enough to give her a curt nod, then resumed again. Arabella watched him for a few moments in silence. She remembered the look on Sirius' face when he had lost his ability to use magic. It was the same look on the man's face now.

"How bad is it?" she ask in the same low whisper.

The man stopped again in front of her. "For me? Very bad."

"But you still can do magic." she replied hopefully.

"Yes. But it's weaker. I can feel it. I've noticed it mostly in my lessons with Harry over the past few days. It's almost like...like I'm losing control of it. I try to summon something, it doesn't respond. I try to ward off a spell, and instead I take a direct hit. And it's not doing the boy any good. Harry thinks his skills are improving at a suddenly astronomical rate, when the truth is he's not up against the same power he was when we first started."

Arabella went right to the most logical solution to her. "Have you spoken to Dumbledore?"

Voldemort frowned at the suggestion. "I haven't decided that the old man deserves this much of a laugh yet."

"Laugh?" Arabella cried in astonishment. "You think he would find this funny?"

"Eminently."

"Then you don't know the man at all. He just might surprise you."

"Very little surprises me anymore."

"Then I'll make a bet with you."

A smile curved up on the man's lips. "A bet?"

"Yes. You go and see Dumbledore tomorrow, and I'll bet you the man finds nothing at all humorous about the situation."

"That's a very intriguing offer." Voldemort replied, the smile growing ever so slightly across his lips. "And what do I get if I win this bet?"

"Anything you want...," she stated quickly, but then just as quickly amended, "...within reason."

Voldemort shook a finger in front of her. "No. That puts too many restrictions on it."

"All right. What do you want?"

"Anything I want..." he repeated half of her original offer, "...that involves only you."

Arabella paused this time to think the offer over. "That could cover an awful lot of territory." she replied.

"Nothing indecent, my dear Arabella, I promise. Just whatever I ask for, will involve something only you can give me."

Arabella thought for a moment again, then nodded. "All right. Agreed. But only because I am sure I will not have to pay up."

"You're so sure?"

"Positive." Arabella replied firmly, raising her chin so her eyes met his.

Voldemort met her stare. "Then I will see you in the morning." he agreed with a slight nod.

Hearing the door to Arabella's room next to his open and close, Harry quietly opened his own door and poked his head out.

He watched in utter surprise as Voldemort walked off down the corridor.

What was Voldemort doing on this side of the castle this late at night? And more importantly, why had he been in Arabella's room?

Grabbing his robe, Harry hurried to the door down the corridor and banged on it.

It almost immediately opened. "Oh for the love of...oh!" Arabella stopped abruptly. "Harry? What is it, dear? Is everything all right?"

"I was about to ask you that." Harry replied quickly. "Can I come in?"

Arabella stepped aside and Harry hurried past her, closing the door behind him.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Arabella ask.

"I just saw Voldemort leaving your room." Harry stated. "What was he doing here?"

Arabella smiled at his tone. "Harry, you sound like my mother. And for your information, not that it is any of your business, 'young man of the house', Voldemort had something he wanted to ask me. Sort of a...problem he isn't sure how to handle."

"Problem? What sort of problem?"

"The kind I am not discussing with you at this hour of the night." she replied cryptically as she ushered him back to the door. "Now, stop listening in keyholes and go to bed."

"Maybe I should stay here tonight." Harry replied. "In case he comes back."

Arabella continued more or less shoving him towards her door. "Voldemort is off to bed, Harry. As am I. As should you be. Now off you go."

Harry paused outside Arabella's door for several minutes before finally heading down to his own. He considered raising a ward in the corridor to alert him to any movement. But Arabella would likely detect it and would be less than happy even if he had only done it for her own good. But he did leave the door to his own room open behind him. If Voldemort did come back, he was going to be sure he heard him.

**Q&A**

**Family Relations**

Skahducky:

**You haven't read the fifth and sixth books in their entirety? Is that why you set up the Black family the way you did?**

I forgot in my last review that Sirius has some influence on Voldemort's personality, so I guess you really are showing what type of teacher Voldemort would have been if Dumbledore hired him all those years ago, even though you're doing it unknowingly.

Why did you decide not to read the latter two books? I know you prefer Harry slightly innocent, but you must realize much of Harry's personality in the fifth book was a result of struggling to deal with what he went through in Goblet of Fire along with frustration at being cut off from those who give him support and guidance. Even when Harry was at Grimmauld Place, Sirius wasn't allowed to tell him any more than he told Harry the first night he was there. Also, Sirius was so preoccupied at being forced to not leave a house that held so many bad memories for him that he didn't realize how much Harry needed him. At school, Dumbledore was avoding him and all Harry's contact with Sirius was effectively cut off. It's no wonder he became so bad tempered and reckless.

**The sixth book is much different in that aspect. Of course, at at sixteen, Harry is more mature than he was previously. However, the adults around him realize that Harry needs to at least be kept aware of some of what's going on around him, and he does much better for it. I highly recommend you read the sixth book, if only for all the background story it sheds light on.**  
**  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. I loved Harry and Lupin's conversation. Please update soon!**

So sue me.

No, I haven't read Book V cover to cover, (I skimmed it, got to the 'bad part', and quit.) and I haven't even cracked Book VI. My favorite character is gone and I just can't rally much enthusiasm anymore.

I don't know that my 'lack of inside knowledge' resulted in how I set up Sirius' family, it is simply the way I would have done it had I come up with the series idea. One of the nice things about fanfiction writing is it enables people to lay out different possibilities for the characters.

When I started Family Relations, I always had planned to lay a large part of the story out to show what sort of person Voldemort could have been had he not chosen to be 'evil', so to speak. And in that vein, I also am trying to incorporate...or better, maintain his themes. The man honestly believes what he is doing is right. That is the theme I am trying so hard to maintain here. And I said a long time ago that Family Relations was very adequately named. It isn't about anything so much as the relationships between the characters.

Why did I stop reading? Explained that above. Lost my favorite character, lost interest. Maybe I'll go back and read it depending on how Rowling finishes up. But whereas two other authors are trying to form a group to peer pressure her into not killing Harry (so they say), I don't see much hope on that.

Glad you liked the chapter, Dear.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome awesome awesome chapter! Please update as soon as you can. So that is why Sirius and Orion are the way they are.**

Yup, that pretty much summed it up. Orion pressured Sirius into making a choice...and he did.

Eskaybe:

Thank you for reading, Dear. I also appreciate the reviews.

MasterLupin:

**Well with this heat that is all over the US, I wouldn't be suprised if Florida got hit by Andrew like Hurricans. And I was having a bad time posting the last comment, my wireless keyboard was freeking out and it took for ever to type what I did. It's good to see that your back up and running. My I say that this chapter seemed a little short for you? I usaly don't comment on chapter size as I have some rather short ones myself but I was supprised with this one.   
Any way on with my predictions. While Voldermort may not use Harry as WMD, I think Harry is equivalent to a Bishop in a game of chess, he is important in the out come of any battle that occurs. This new infromation about Orion and Sirius' relationship leads me to belive that they just love to hate eachother, it happens all the time in brother/brother relations that I know of with my friends, they would just as soon fight eachother as they would fight for eachother. The information that Sirius father is of the darkside when it comes to non-humans in the magical world, leeds me to think that Harry will devlop pre-concived notions of his grandfather that will only worsen over time as he collects new information about him and peices it together to fit a negitive image of his grandfather. Which could result in a very bad first time meeting with which Harry practicaly accuses his grandfather of being with Voldermort, or acts very timidly around him, expecting him to attack him at anymoment for Voldermort. I know this one is a rather long post, so I will leave it at that until the next chapter; which may help focuse some of my other thoughts.**

No hurricanes so far. But then Andrew didn't strike until the 23rd of August (22? Something like that.).Mind you, I'm leaving for two weeks in Ireland soon. I would hate to have a hurricane hit while I'm away from my parents. And who the heck is going to take care of my two cats?

Short? Man, you must REALLY have something to say about this one, coming in at only a little over 1000 words. But I've been busy...and sick. Be kind.

You know, I honestly am starting to feel like I'm trying to match wits with you. Not that it isn't interesting, but I feel like I'm losing ground sometimes.

Now I don't know how important Harry will be to the outcome of everything. I think that's a matter of opinion. But he's absolutely vital to things moving forward. Without his consensual help, no one could ever find the wizard in the north. This also explains why none of Voldemort's spies could never even get close to the man. A fact that led to Voldemort researching if the man hadn't initiated a Fedelis Charm.

That's an interesting take on the Black brothers relationship. However, I don't know that they would just as soon 'fight each other as fight for each other'. Orion truly had his little brother's best interests at heart when he gave him the ultimatum that he did. He just went about things the totally wrong way.

Ummmm..., Dear, where did you get that next piece of information? I don't remember ever saying that Talon Black had anything against non-magical people. Granted, I never see Harry ever forming a cuddly close relationship with his grandfather, but that's just the way Talon is. He is not a hugs and kisses kind of guy. But nor would a smart person ever threaten a member of his family. Talon may be a quiet sort of guy, but he has a great deal of power backing him. Keep in mind that, whereas Orion may be the channeler for the 'Power', Talon is the Host. He is the one who, ultimately, would control Bo.

I love long reviews, Dear. Keep 'em coming. Gives me something to read for a change.

**Family Life**

Heksie:

Thank you, Dear. I'm glad you like it.

I also hope you found the sequel to this story, which is Family Relations.

And going on in my reviews, I see you did. Or at least Chapter One. But the story goes on, Dear. It is now in it's twenty-fifth chapter. If you go to my author page, you can pull it up there under Family Relations1. A slight chaptering problem caused the story to be split and I am trying to get it corrected.

All reviews are as of 08/13/2006.

And remember;

For all those of us in Florida, Happy(?) Charly Day. Two years ago today Hurricane Charly cut through Central Florida, followed by Frances, Jeanne, and Ivan. May this year be much less memorable.


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: As that I am working late on this, I really haven't much to say, except,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before this.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: DIGGING A LITTLE DEEPER **

Arabella all but stormed into the great hall the next morning, coming to stop next to the man who sat unperturbed on one of the benches as he read from a copy of the Daily Prophet propped up in front of him while he broke bite sized pieces off of a muffin and popping them in his mouth.

"Where have you been?" Arabella demanded.

"Here." Came the short, formal answer.

"I have been looking all over the castle for you. I tried your room, the library, back to your room, my room, Harry's room..."

"You didn't try here." came the equally unimpressed observation.

"Why ARE you here?" Arabella fumed at him.

Voldemort turned to her for the first time since her arrival. "In general or at this moment? Or are you questioning my whole existence overall? I mean, is this something of a metaphysical inquiry for you, or just something that struck your fancy this morning?"

"I'm going to strike you in about a minute." Arabella warned. "We are suppose to be meeting with the Headmaster this morning."

Voldemort pointed casually to the other side of the room.

Arabella followed his indication, and sure enough, seated across the room was Dumbledore with several of the staff having breakfast.

Collapsing onto the bench next to him, Arabella gave him a narrow stare. "You couldn't have just TOLD me that?"

"You never gave me a chance." Voldemort replied innocently. "Besides, you were much more interested in my existence five seconds ago then Dumbledore's."

"Trust me, it's a short lived interest." she all but sneered at him.

Voldemort gave her a small frown as he took another bite of the rapidly disappearing muffin, then went back to his morning paper.

"Why aren't you more...," Arabella tried to search for the right word.

"Agitated?" Voldemort offered helpfully past a mouthful of muffin. "Worried? Concerned? Fidgeting?"

"All of the above."

Voldemort shrugged. "There's no point. It would be wasted time and energy to worry over something I can't solve because I don't have all the pieces yet. The problem could be something very simple to fix."

"Or it could be something very hard to fix."

"The point is, we don't know. So stop worrying about it. Personally, I find concentrating on our bet far more interesting at the moment."

Arabella couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face before she fought it back down. "Still so sure you're going to win?"

Voldemort looked up from his paper. "We're about to find out."

Arabella followed his glance. At the other table Dumbledore was bidding the others goodbye as he got up and started for the doors to the hall. But to Arabella's surprise, seeing them, he stopped and headed towards their table.

"I understand you wished to see me this morning." The Headmaster greeted them.

"How did you know?" Arabella ask.

Voldemort frowned at her question. "Because I sent him a message via the house-elves last night after our talk." he replied. "Did you think I would leave something this important to hoping we might run into the man some time today?"

Something else you just happened to neglect to mention?" Arabella asked as the man next to her rose.

"Again, you never gave me the chance." he replied, succinctly cutting off her response as he popped the last bite of his muffin into her mouth. "Come along, Arabella. Mustn't keep the Headmaster waiting."

Out in the hall, Harry quickly disappeared down a side corridor as the three left the great hall. From his position at the doorway he had had a clear view of Arabella and Voldemort without being able to be seen himself. He had watched the exchange with a growing sense of uneasy, not liking the way it appear to him Voldemort had been slowly edging ever closer to his Godmother. Nor did he like anymore the fact that Arabella had not been moving away from him or discouraging his advances in any way. She had, in fact, smiled at the man.

Smiled!

What was she doing? She was engaged to Sirius. She had no business smiling at some other man. Especially Voldemort. Even if he was currently in his godfather's body. Arabella knew that. She knew who she was smiling at.

Harry frowned at the trio as he watched them walk down the hallway, Voldemort following after his godmother like a puppy. The man bared a lot of watching in his opinion. Maybe he was working on some new plan to try and sway Arabella over to his side of things...whatever that was at the moment. Weren't they all suppose to be on the same side after all? So why did the dark lord need to get close to his godmother?

Harry shook his head. He didn't like the way things were shaping up. But for now, he resolved, he would simply watch and wait and see what Voldemort did next.

An hour later the two emerged from the Headmaster's office already in the depths of yet another argument.

"That was a smile." Voldemort stated in a terse voice.

"Oh, it was not. The man's lip twitched."

"A smirk then. The point is, he found it amusing."

"He did nothing of the sort." Arabella replied firmly. "He offered to help. You were the one who was being difficult."

Dumbledore had sat through Voldemort's explanation of his problem, taking in everything the man said in contemplative silence. In the end he had ask Voldemort if he would be willing now to tell him the spell he had used to manage the taking over of Sirius' body, as well as any changes he had made to it so Dumbledore could study it more closely. When Voldemort had visibly hesitated, Dumbledore reminded him patiently that if they were to work together, they had to start trusting each other, and this was as good a place as any. He went on to explain that if he was to help solve the problem, he had to know what caused it, which required his studying the spell in its entirety. If he was forced to first continue to waste precious time just looking for the spell, the time wasted could well be all that was needed for Voldemort's powers to be completely destroyed by whatever was eating away at them now.

When again Voldemort had hesitated, Dumbledore had offered a compromise of Voldemort giving the spell to Professor Lupin, who was the best wizard he knew of at configuring and reconfiguring spells. Several silent moments ticked by in the office while Voldemort considered the offer, never once taking his eyes off the old man the entire time.

But in the end he had agreed, albeit begrudging, as he conceded that Lupin was indeed very 'skilled for his level' in the manipulation of standard spells.

Arabella had all but stood up and applauded the man for how well he could compliment and insult someone, all in the same sentence.

But the current discourse lay solely on Dumbledore's exact reaction to Voldemort's predicament.

"I was not being difficult, I was being cautious. And with good reason. The old werewolf could get his teeth into something he can't handle. And I have no desire to try and sort that mess out."

"Lupin is perfectly capable of poking about your spell without managing to mess it up...unlike someone else."

Voldemort stopped dead in the corridor and turned to face her. Arabella met his glare with a sweet smile.

"And in case you need a refresher course on the subject," she continued amiably, "this is a smile."

"I know a smile when I see one." he stated curtly. "Which is why I can state quite confidently that that was the old man's reaction to my...predicament."

"It was nothing of the sort." Arabella shot back, continuing down the hallway. "If anything, I'll give you 'surprise'. But that's it."

"He smiled in surprise?" Voldemort retorted, hurrying after her. "You expect anyone to buy that?"

Arabella stopped and turned back to him. "Well why don't you stick a price on it, sit it on a shelf, and see? Because I have other things to do right now."

"I won our bet, Arabella." He called after her as she continued down the hall. "And I'll let you know what I want shortly."

Arabella merely waved her hand to him over her back as she walked off.

It was only a few days later that Arabella heard from the Headmaster that Lupin thought he had figured out the solution to the problem and they could discuss it the next morning in his office.

With Orion still under the head nurse's care and, therefore, not released to resume his own research, Arabella was still taking over his share of the work. Although with the spell more or less now out in the open, the focus had shifted once again to the wizard in the north.

Getting up early, Arabella had chosen research in the library over breakfast once again. But halfway through her morning session a plate of eggs, bacon, and a biscuit were slowly slid across the table to her.

Slowly raising her eyes, Arabella found herself facing Voldemort, who was by then placing a cup of orange juice next to the plate. The smile on his face was pure self-satisfaction.

"What is this?" she ask.

"You never eat." he replied, sitting across from her at the table.

"You realize that whole statement is ridiculous."

"Is it?" he ask, unfolding a napkin and handing it to her. "Then allow me to rephrase it. I never see you eat. You are never at breakfast. You are never at lunch. And you are rarely at dinner. Even your charge shows up in the dining hall some times. But rarely ever with you."

"And from all of this you assess I have found some way to survive without food?"

"Maybe not entirely without. But if you're on some sort of diet, I can tell you you are wasting your time."

Arabella frowned at him.

"It isn't necessary." he emphasized. "I've never met a person less in need of losing weight." he maintained, edging the plate towards her. "Now go on. Eat something. I won't leave until you do."

Arabella picked up the fork. "There's incentive." she murmured.

That same self-satisfied smile crossed his face.

Arabella took a mouthful of eggs before she stopped suddenly. "It's not poison is it?" she ask.

The smile quickly disappeared. "You honestly believe I would...?"

Arabella nearly choked past a giggle. "It's a joke!" she stated, coughing into her napkin. "Honestly. You're so serious all the..." But she stopped suddenly, all amusement draining out of her features at the same sounding word. She quickly turned back to her plate. "Thank you for bringing this. I don't get to the dining hall very often, and I was..."

A hand suddenly laid itself over her's. Startled she looked up. The face looking back at her could have been Sirius' for all the expression in it. More than she had ever seen in Voldemort's before.

"Arabella," he said quietly, "he's all right. Nothing is going to happen to him. In fact, he's probably safer right now than any of us."

"As long as you decide." she replied, a small kernel of anger growing in her at the reminder. "As long as we don't do something you don't approve of, or like, or feel is necessary."

The pressure on her hand increased. "No." he stated firmly. "I won't hurt him. He's perfectly safe. Perfectly unharmed."

"Then let me talk to him. You haven't allowed that in days. Prove to me he's all right."

Voldemort sat back in the seat, withdrawing his hand as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What was it Dumbledore said the other day in his office? We need to start trusting each other?"

Arabella silently cursed at the man. He had managed to turn the tables on her, leaving her with no response to his declaration. The only thing she could think to do was change the subject.

"Do you know that Sirius had a similar thing happen to him only a few weeks ago as what you're facing?" she ask.

Voldemort continued to stare back at her across the table. "Yes." he answered without a single note of surprise.

Arabella looked up from the table abruptly. "You do? How?"

Voldemort turned to her with the same small smile. "Deatheaters were involved, no? Ergo, I must know something about it. Isn't that pretty much how that equation works?"

Arabella frowned at his statement. "You don't need to sound so pleased with yourself." she commented. "I just wandered if the two might somehow be related."

"I suppose we'll find out in an hour or so."

Arabella studied him for a moment. "You don't seem the least bit worried."

"Worry is a wasted emotion. Things either are or they aren't. Those are the only two possibilities I deal with."

"Pretty empirical living standards." she replied. "Do you deal with any other less than concrete standards?"

"Indeed." he stated with a slight smile. "I believe in hope." The smile never faded as he got to his feet. "I'll see you in the Headmaster's office in an hour." He stated with a slight bow of his head. "Do enjoy your breakfast, Arabella." he added as he turned to leave.

**Q&A**

**Family Relations**

MasterLupin:

**Well by God's will the Atlantic is still clear of anything threating. I went to Ireland in 2001, for only a week (wasn't nearly long enough but I had school; what's one to do?) Ireland is truly unique, loved it. Cliffs of More were the best (It was all great)! **

Any way about matching wits with you, I'm not trying to shove you of any ground, I just like having an author who responds to my comments and I can bounce story predictiond off of and get a responce; as well as go into character analasis.

For the story plot: This chapter says to me either Voldermort is dieing, or the magic cure potion didn't workout after all. I simply don't know with which to go with at this point, although I am leaning toward Voldermort dieing. I think this chapter also shows that Harry is unable to lose his belife (for he has lived with it for so long) that he must protect thous who like him, and not let it be the other way around; because bad things always happen to people who like/love him. Shown by his determination to protect Arabla from Voldermort, and not let her protect him, as Arabla has told him repeadly.

To explain why Harry might think Talon evil/a Voldermort support and or with Voldermort's group of people hating everything not them. It comes from Remus' conversation with Harry. "He told his little brother he knew what I was, that he had proof, and that Sirius could either stop hanging around with 'the werewolf and his gang', or Orion would go to their father and explain to him the company his younger son was keeping."  
The thing that I think Harry sees here is the later part of this sentince in which Orinon will tell thier father that Sirius hangs out with werewolves as a punishment for not stoping his asotiation. This implys that the father dosn't like werewolves, and Harry, I think, will not make the contection with Talon not wanting his son in danger, and Talon hating werewolves. The negitive conotation of Talon will/can be futhered by Harry finding out some of the thing that Talon has done. Which we are lead to belive were done for good, but when looked at out of context( as Harry often sees thing as the context is not given) look prety bad. When Harry learns these things it will cement his view of Talon as a bad/hatefull old man of past times who tend to go with Voldermort.

On a side note: Were Orion's kids in the house with Harry and orion just had them hidden?

Can't say much about this hurricane season. Things never really get rolling until late August. I mean, Andrew struck in late August, and he was the first that year. And Charly struck August 13th. So we never say never here in Florida.

Well, it's my first vacation in over 15 years, so I am sort of looking forward to it.

Oh, Dear, I totally understand. And I love your predictions. I actually use them to see how well I am getting my point across. I mean, if you are way off base, I figure I'm being a little too convoluted in my story line and I need to lighten up a bit. If you're predicting things like you're reading my notes, I'm being too obvious. You're a great measure of how I'm doing story-wise.

Hmmmmmmm..., too convoluted, I think this time. No, Voldemort is not dying. Just seriously inconvenienced. And several people thought this related back to when Sirius nearly lost his magic. No. Totally separate incidents. Totally unrelated.

As for Harry, that's a bit tougher. And that situation will explain itself shortly. Think of it this way. Harry is fully expecting to see Sirius and Arabella married. Therefore, in his eyes, she is off-limits to the opposite sex. Now you have said opposite sex paying her attention, and he doesn't much care for it.

The whole thing with that sentence is that Orion figured that, like everyone else, his father would see his son hanging around with a werewolf as a dangerous thing and end that relationship. And true, Harry is seeing the whole situation out of context and that could color his view of his soon-to-be grandfather. But keep in mind, Talon is no hugs and kisses, over-night stays grandfather either. The man is all business. He loves his family very much, he's just not very emotional about it. In other words...he's a man.

Kids in the house? Nope. They and 'Mom' were off with the grandparents having a lovely little visit.

Skahducky:

**Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.  
If you don't mind me asking, what part of Book V is the 'bad part,' and who's your favorite character? I think you implied that it was Sirius; he's my favorite character too.  
Now that you mentioned relationships between the characters, I did see how much things have changed in this chapter. Arabella was much more amicable with Voldemort...at least once they began talking. Voldemort was being very understanding, and even Harry didn't react as drastically as he might have at the thought that Voldemort was in Arabella's room. I think maybe the relationship between Voldemort and Dumbledore is about to change too.  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please udpate soon!**

No offense taken, Dear. Truly.

The 'bad part' for me was, indeed, Sirius' 'death'. I saw it as pointless hype for the book. An ill-conceived 'shocker' which Rowling maintains was necessary. Have yet to see that bared out. But Sirius was my favorite character and I just sort of lost interest in the story after that 'incident'.

The dynamics of the relationships in this story are really what move it. And they are shifting all the time. The only person still on a fairly even keel because he keeps himself so well separated from all those dynamics, is Orion. But things are about to change for him as well. And before this story is over he will have had to make some very hard decisions where his two best friends are concerned.

As for Arabella, she's mostly being cautious right now. She knows that somewhere deep inside that body, Sirius still exists, but at Voldemort's whim. But she's also all too aware that the man she interacts with on nearly a daily bases is not the Voldemort she remembers. And that she is very much seeing instead the man Tom Riddle could have become had he not become Lord Voldemort. And remember that that man is a charming, charismatic, likable person. If he weren't, he could never have swayed so many people over to his way of thinking.

Voldemort is currently just being his naturally charming self, while keeping his goals firmly in sight. Don't underestimate the man. He still has plans in mind, he just fails to see why the road has to be so...bumpy. A few smooth patches can be nice for a while.

Don't be so sure Harry's reaction was placid to finding Voldemort in Arabella's room. He's watching and waiting now more than anything. Make no mistake, he is none too please with the amount of attention Voldemort is lavishing on his godmother. As far as he is concerned, Arabella is Sirius', and Voldemort needs to take a few steps back.

As for the relationship between Voldemort and Dumbledore, that is pretty much a constant. Voldemort's suspicious and Dumbledore is being understanding if not whimsical little self. Not much change there.

All reviews are as of 08/19/2006.

And remember;

(I'm having some plumbing work done in my house, so this is oh so appropriate to me right now.)

A brain surgeon has a leaky faucet, so he calls the plumber. The plumber comes and works for fifteen minutes and hands the doctor a bill for $90.00.

The doctor is outraged, and tells the plumber 'This is ridiculous! That's $360.00 per hour. I'm a brain surgeon and even I don't make that much!'

The plumber smiles at him and replies, 'I know. I didn't make that much when I was a brain surgeon either.'


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: OK, before you jump on me, no, it's not very long. But it was 'plant day' for me today, and I had to tend to my orchids most of the afternoon. I had a lot of babies in need of their own pots, and that takes some time to work out.

I'm also a bit preoccupied these days with my trip to Ireland. I am now less than a month away and it's practically all I think about. That and the twelve million things my boss had thought up that 'suddenly need to be done' before I leave.

So, bear with me,

and as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before this.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: LOOKING INSIDE YOURSELF**

Voldemort tapped his foot against the floor in front of the chair he sat in. He had given her all the assurances she could possibly ask for that Black was all right. Certainly more than he would have normally allowed anyone. She still simply wasn't taking his word for anything. And it bothered him. A great deal more than he knew he should let it.

With a sigh he sat back in the chair and leaned his head back. He thought into the future. Something that was facing him constantly. As soon as he got rid of this nuisance of a wizard, then what? He would still have the same problems he had had before. A temporary truce did not make his problems disappear. He still had his Deatheaters. Though his hold on them was tentative, it was still there.

And what about the body he was in? Arabella and Potter expected him to give it up when everything was settled. That was another problem to work on. He would prefer to keep it. It suited him. It allowed him to move about in the world again and no one looked at him twice. That day in Diagon Alley had been an experience he hadn't had in far too long. To stand in a crowd and be able to simply observe people coming and going. It was like being let out of a cell after years of confinement. All the tastes and sounds and feelings he had been missing out on all these years. A few weeks simply wasn't long enough to reacquaint himself with all the pleasures of life.

The key to his problem there was the witch, Arabella. If he could sway her over to his side, the boy would follow. Potter did whatever she said with a blind devotion he envied her. But how to win her over?

Voldemort thought over the situation. Arabella liked Black, but she remained cautious and wary of him. But why? He was everything Black was. Even better.

She liked Black's body, there was no doubt of that. But it was the same body he was in, so there was no problem there.

Black was funny, entertaining, fun to be around..., and charming. Well, he could do charming. He had charmed people all his life. And wasn't he, in fact, already doing that? He was being nice to her, something he found he actually enjoyed. He talked with her. Made her smile. And she seemed to be responding to that. She wasn't nearly as hostile to him as she had been in the beginning.

So what else was there?

He thought of how perfect things would be to have her at his side. To be able to show the world that the 'oh so prim and proper Auror' Arabella Figg had switched her allegiance to him. And if he could sway her, who else could he convince to join him?

Voldemort narrowed his eyes as he thought. Yes. What it would take was some thought and a certain amount of charm. And he could be charming.

Glancing at the time, he sighed as he pulled himself up from the chair.

It was time to go see what the old werewolf had found out.

Seated once again in Dumbledore's office, Voldemort had resumed his foot-tapping almost as soon as he sat down. Lupin was quietly conferring with the old wizard while they waited for the rest of the group to arrive. Presently Arabella arrived, followed closely behind by the elder Black brother. But no one else seemed to be coming since as soon as Black took his seat Lupin turned his attention to the gathering.

"Well," he became, "I am happy to say that the news is, in part at least, good."

Voldemort scowled at the man. "In part? What part?"

Lupin turned a casual smile to the man. One that Voldemort would swear was barely masking a certain smugness on Lupin's part.

"Sirius'." He answered.

"What has my...problem...to do with Black?"

The smile never wavered. "From what I've been able to tell, everything."

Voldemort leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. This was starting to sound very bad to him. "Explain."

The smile remained. "Let me ask you a question first." Lupin replied. "How long have you noticed that you powers were fading?"

Voldemort thought for a moment. It wasn't something he had noticed right off, so pinpointing the date it started would be difficult. But once he did realize what was happening, it was all too obvious to him. "The second day I was working with Harry on the defense skills. Before the boy arrived, I always ran through the series of tests I would put him against. It was a type of warm up exercise for me. That day it was far harder to fend off the attacks than I remembered. I rechecked the spell, thinking I had perhaps maaaaa...ybe...misspoken a word." he corrected himself quickly.

Arabella coughed next to him, causing him to turn to her.

"Misspoken?" she stated, answering his stare. "Could you even say the word 'mistake' without fear of bursting into flames or something?"

Voldemort frowned at her, but quickly turned his attention back to Lupin. "There was nothing wrong with the way I set up the spell. The fact was, I simply couldn't defend against the attacks as I had the day before. After that, I started to notice almost daily that my powers were not what they use to be. And day by day they seem to be fading a little bit more."

"All right." Lupin replied. "Now let me ask you another question. How much effort have you been expending to keep Sirius 'locked away'?"

Voldemort frowned again. "What has that to do with anything?"

"Humor me." the man answered with the same infuriating smile.

Voldemort sighed. "Black has been more of an irritant than usual lately. I have had to block his influence more than usual in order to keep him under control."

Arabella quickly turned back to him. "You said he was all right! That he hadn't been harmed!"

"And he hasn't!" Voldemort snapped back. "Believe me, I have been more than tolerant with the man for your sake. The least you could do is show a little appreciation!"

Arabella stopped short. "What does that mean? 'Show a little appreciation'?"

"It means that you still walk around like at any minute you expect me to suddenly start blasting everything in my path into oblivion. And that is totally avoiding the fact that it has somehow managed to escape your keen senses that currently I couldn't blast so much as a fly into oblivion on one of my good days!"

"Back to the matter at hand," Lupin interjected calmly. "The point is, you have been cutting Sirius off from any influence in his body more and more. Subsequently, you have also noticed a sharp decline in your powers."

Voldemort narrowed his stare. "Are you suggesting that Black is responsible for what has been happening to my powers? Because if he is..."

"I am suggesting he is responsible 'indirectly'." Lupin stated.

"Indirectly?"

"Indeed. Sirius himself has had very little to do with your loss of your powers. That you can only attribute to yourself."

"Me?" Voldemort gave a slight laugh. "You're suggesting I did this to myself?"

"More than likely without knowing it." Lupin added mildly. "You have to remember that Sirius is half of the whole in the sum of the body you both now occupy. What effects one, effects the other. Therefore, if you try to cut Sirius out, you are, in effect, cutting your powers in half. The harder you work to keep him under too tight a reign, the more sever the drain on your own powers. Successfully cutting him off from any influence at all would be to leave yourself with only half of your original ability, magically speaking."

"So what do you suggest?"

Lupin smiled at the man. "Lighten up."

"Lighten up?"

"Stop treating Sirius like the enemy within. Like it or not, he's a part of you, and you can't function wholly without him being allowed his fair share, as it were."

"So your saying I have to let Black have more freedom."

Lupin merely nodded in answer.

"How do I know any of this is the truth? You could be just grasping at straws, or just coming up with some inane answer to try and help your friend."

Lupin shrugged. "It's an easy enough hypothesis to check."

Voldemort's frown deepened. "How?"

Lupin's smile returned. "Like I said, 'lighten up'."

Voldemort paused, then finally lay his arms back down on the arms of the chair and closed his eyes. He didn't really see the old werewolf's suggestion accomplishing much, but still, it never hurt to try. And he could keep enough of a hold on Black to reverse the effort at any time. Just as soon as he saw for himself that there was nothing to be accomplished by following Lupin's suggestion.

But as he slowly loosened his hold, allowing Black's personality closer to the surface, Voldemort paused. Along with the feeling of Black's consciousness rising in him, Voldemort could practically feel the surge of power coming with it. Like water under pressure, he could feel the tension building within him.

This was not what he had expected. Apparently the old werewolf wasn't as smart as he pretended to be and had overestimated, underestimated, or simply failed all together to correctly estimate the result of allowing Black additional freedom. Focusing his own mind, he work as quickly as he could to reign the power back in. But it was like trying to stop a leak with a piece of cloth. The more you pushed into the hole, the wetter the rag became, simply absorbing the water. Trying the stop the build up of power, he was simply channeling it through himself, not stopping it. It needed an outlet. A target to expend itself on. For a second he thought of the old werewolf. It would serve him right for miscalculating so badly. But even as his hand searched for his wand, he discarded the idea. Arabella liked the old werewolf. It wouldn't serve very well to singe his fur just to make a point.

Pulling his wand out, Voldemort directed it at the far wall, releasing a bolt of light that hit the wall with enough force to shake the surrounding room.

When the dust settled, Dumbledore got up and leaned over his desk, staring out of the large hole in the wall of his office as Lupin coughed slightly.

"I suppose I should have mentioned that." He said in a voice that seemed to seek to belied that fact that half of the east wall of Dumbledore's office now lay in the adjoining field.

Voldemort turned his gaze slowly back to the man. "You suppose you should have mentioned it?"

"Well, for several days you've only been using about half of your full magical ability. It's really sort of like taking a cork out of a bottle of seltzer...after you've given it a good shaking."

"You could have warned me."

"I didn't expect you to act so quickly on my suggestion. You usually tend to...think things over for a few days first."

"Well, no real harm done," Dumbledore interrupted the exchange between the two as he slowly sank back into his chair, "except to my wall, of course. I think it would be best if we allow Voldemort the day to get things...back under reasonable control, and then meet again to discuss our next step."

As everyone left the room, Orion held back, intercepting Lupin, the last to leave the office, in the corridor and all but dragging him into a small room off to the side.

The door barely slammed shut before the Unspeakable turned to the man. "You weren't telling the whole truth in there." he started immediately.

**Q&A**

**Family Relations**

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome chapter. But I realized something as I'm reading. Even as much as everyone hates Voldemort, they're getting to know him, the man that no one ever sees. So what's gonna happen when Harry is supposed to kill him eventually? Not saying that it's going to happen in this fic, because I don't know. But just thinking about it. Oh and Arabella's got some 'splaining to do! Sure, we know that smile wasn't anything but Harry doesn't know that. Please update soon!**

Yes, indeed. And that is, sort of, the point of this story. The man Voldemort 'could' have been. Now, how is this going to effect Harry in that he is suppose to kill Voldemort? Well, you answered that yourself, sort of. That isn't part of this story. Although the decision Harry has to ultimately face does come very close, currently he is much more interested in just keeping Sirius safe. And since killing Voldemort would be, in effect, killing Sirius, that just isn't an option at the moment.

Now, give poor Arabella a break. It can't be easy that every time you look at a man that you know is your enemy, you see the man you love. It has to be a bit confusing, and she's already under a lot of stress. Plus, added to that, Voldemort isn't being near his usual horrible self. He's actually being...nice. I've said it many time before. Long before Tom Riddle became Voldemort, he was just your everyday wizard. But he still managed to gather around himself a fairly large group of people, convincing them that the way he thought was right and justified. That takes a lot of charm and charisma. And trust me, currently he is having a barn sale on both.

Harry has a lot of things he is going to have to figure out. But foremost in his mind right now is why his godmother is smiling at Voldemort. Why she has breakfast with him. Why she seems to always be talking to him, and a whole lot of other 'why's' he doesn't have any answers to right now. But his patience is growing very thin on this subject, and very shortly he is going to be looking for those answers from a most unlikely source.

MasterLupin:

**Well I think that now that Lupin is on the case, he'll find some ingenuse solution to the problem and anger Voldermort at it's simplicity and not haveing forseen the solution himself. Voldermort will have a hissy fit then accept Lupin's solution. Harry will be caught by Arabela accedently, he will be covertly(as best a teenager can) following her trying to figure out Voldermorts intentions with her; which in turn, will lead to a conversation with Arabela about her feelsing to this new Voldermort.  
How's that for a bold prediction?**

You definitely were not peeking at my notes this week.

I'm not saying your wrong, since your prediction is left open to a wide Variety of interpretations and could be seen as correct via this chapter. However, I would not say 1) that Lupin's solution was simple, nor 2) that Voldemort threw a hissy fit over it.

Now, as for the rest of it, ah...no. I do not foresee Harry getting caught spying on Arabella and Voldemort. First off, spying isn't required. They're fairly out in the open about everything (ok, except that bit in her room), and all Harry has to do is look. His problem currently is that he is looking beyond the obvious and make it into something that suits his own view of things instead. Always a bad idea.

The last part...ummmmmmmmm..., you're a bit closer there. Maybe you did manage a quick peek. Arabella is definitely getting more than a little confused over her feelings for Voldemort. Currently, she's surprised to find she actually likes him. He's a bit of an irritant, but he's also thoughtful, kind, charming, and in his own way, funny. Definitely not the man she's dedicated a good part of her life to fighting against. It has to confuse the dickens out of someone to be in that situation.

Heather:

**You are making voldie to human. I understand that he is a plot point for u but it is like u are forgetting ur main characters the characters that matter to your readers harry, sirius and bella, though they have somewhat decent story lines nothing impressive, nothing that makes me care about what they are doing or what is going on with them. Which is kinda weird because I should care but I just don't. They have become somewhat boring side characters. I love ur writing in my humble opinion u are one of the best authors on this site but, i don't know maybe I just wasn't prepare for U to take this story in this direction. Anyway interested to see hoe u will end this story.**

Oh dear. You are not going to like this story. At least not the next few chapters.

Hang in there with me though. Arabella and Harry do come back more to the forefront of the story. Sirius, as I have warned all along, is not seen much in this story. He is very much a background character. But he comes out as part of the main focus in the last installment, Family Ties, which wraps up the Family story arc.

As for Voldemort being too human..., Dear, that's the whole point of the story. I can't very well leave it out. This part of the story is, in part, looking at the man Tom Riddle would have been had he not become Lord Voldemort. I realize it is difficult for people who have read the books past the fourth one to reconcile Rowling's Voldemort with mine. But I stopped reading after GoF for a number of reasons. Mostly, I lost faith in the books overall. But also, it would have skewed my view point very badly while I worked on this story.

Now, is Voldemort going to turn into the ultimate wonderful human being and start having morning tea with Dumbledore while they discuss how silly they've been hating each other all these years and how much more they could have accomplished being friends and working together?

You seriously expect me to answer that?

Skahducky:

**As for the reason Sirius was killed in the fifth book and another death followed in the sixth book (I won't mention who in case you don't know and don't want to know), I think it's because Harry needs to defeat Voldemort on his own, so J.K.Rowling was giving Harry a little push towards independence by taking away his one parental figure in life. It also awakened Harry to the reality of what he's facing. When he and the others went to the Ministry of Magic, Harry didn't seem to realize that dealing with Death Eaters and Voldemort can lead to the deaths of his friends, and Sirius' death showed him how wrong that notion was. Harry ran into that situation seemingly without a doubt that he, Ron, and Hermione would make it out alive. It was only when Neville, Luna, and Ginny showed up that he began to have doubts, probably only because he doesn't trust their abilities as much as he trusts Ron's and Hermione's.**

I understand that Voldemort in this fic is more Tom Riddle as he would have been than Lord Voldemort. However, this is after he poured all his efforts into trying to get Harry, Sirius, Dumbledore, and all the others killed. So, how much is Sirius' personality affecting his to make him the person he appears to be now? (Didn't somebody say before that Sirius' personality could come out more if people started treating Voldemort like they would Sirius?) Anyway, I really liked this chapter, and I'm looking forward to finding out what's wrong with Voldemort's magic. Please update soon!

Still doesn't make me feel any better about it, Dear.

And no worries, I've already had the Reader's Digest version of Book VI given to me. No surprises there.

Ohhhhhhhhhh! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad you ask that! Is no one else thinking about this!

How is Voldemort going to get around the fact that for four years his number one thing to do every day he woke up was kill Harry? That under the smiles and pleasant conversation, he is still Voldemort. He still did a lot of really nasty, bad things.

Trust me, this was a very hard part of the story for me to manipulate to my own use. I couldn't just ignore it. It did happen per canon. So there has to be a reason for it. You'll see some major story manipulation coming up in the next few chapters, so watch for it.

Silverfox:

**There, finally caught up again! ... Do you even still remember me? Unfortunately work got in the way of fanfiction reading this year. (I never want anything to do with any 'big project' again, thank you very much boss.) ... Bo the babysitter? Didn't you once say that he had the mental level of an about three year old child? Isn't that a bit too immature for a babysitter? ... Anyway, my suspicion is that Hershel's attackers ran from Bo and Voldemort's current problem is probably caused by some sort of incompatibility with Sirius' body. (Well, you'll have to get him back out of there again sometime and the easiest way is, if he wants to leave on his own. ;) ) ... As for the book six discussion, I too recommend you read it. It's my favourite out of the lot so far, much better than number five.**

I know the feeling, Dear. Between this, my job, the project I am suppose to be working on for my agent, a new story in the works, and my so called 'life', I haven't much time left for anything else. I use to do review of my own on stories, but had to give that up because I simply didn't have the time anymore. Maybe after I get home from Ireland I can do some serious time management and get things a bit more under control.

I understand big projects at work too. I just got done rewiring four wire closets, before the end of the month (September) I have to rewire an office, move another office, upgrade two phone systems, and start preparation to bring a T-3 line and two PRI's into our central hub. There are days I hate my job.

Bo is actually a wonderful babysitter. True, he sometimes is no better than a three year old, but he has his more lucid moments. Think of him this way. Bo isn't from 'around these parts', so to speak. He literally comes from a different realm. (That's as far outside of canon as I'm planning to step at the moment.) Now, in being that sort of...being, and as that he is a bit unfamiliar with things here and how they work, he tends to like to be very focused in his tasks. In other words, when you tell him to do something, he really puts his whole heart and soul (?) into it. So, if you say, "Bo, I want you to watch these five kids for me and make sure no one a) hurts anyone else, b) catches anything or anyone else on fire, c) does anything a Grade One magic reversal squad member can't fix, or d) leaves the premises", that's pretty much what you're going to get. When you return, no one will be hurt, no one and nothing will be on fire, the magic reversal squad may or may not have been to your house, and everyone will still be present and accounted for. But the flip side of that is, you have to be very S.P.E.C.I.F.I.C. with Bo. He tends to give into a wide variety of interpretation otherwise. Take the above situation. Bo would most likely look at that as 1) define 'hurt'. Slightly damaged? Moderately Damaged? Seriously damaged? What? 2) for what period of time? Can it be on fire for a short period, can it be singed slightly, or are you talking not at all? 3) would that be you're standard Grade One squad member, or someone who just skimmed by on their entrance exam? 4) can they leave and come back? Do you want them here all the time, or just to be here when you get back?

See, you're typical three year old.

Oh, have a gold star, Dear! ()(Gold star that keeps getting erased in the uploading for some reason.) Yes indeed. They left when Orion, Katlin, and Bo arrived. It had to be one of those three that they didn't want to face an encounter with, and you nailed which one.

I'll give you the second one on a stretch. It's sort of an incompatibility problem. And indeed, Voldemort has to willingly leave the body in order for Sirius to take full control again. That makes it a bit stickier in trying to separate them. No spell, ward, charm, or anything else can force Voldemort out of the body. He has to want to leave. And you can't get him to leave by making it uncomfortable for him (ie: torture), since anything you do to the body, Sirius feels as well.

Well, I can't see how Book VI could be any worse than Book V, Dear. In my opinion, Rowling had no where to go but up.

All reviews are as of 08/27/2006.

And remember;

We are watching Ernesto (What self-respecting hurricane wants to be called 'Ernesto'?) out in the Atlantic. It is now said to be headed for Daytona Beach by Wednesday afternoon. Delays in posting may follow.


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: Yup. I survived.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: BRIDGE**

Lupin sighed as he faced Orion, then slowly nodded. "I felt there were things best not said." he replied.

"What things?" Orion all but demanded.

"You understand what I told Voldemort?" Lupin asked.

"I understood that in trying to keep my brother under lock and key he is effectively cutting himself off from half of his magical ability."

Lupin simply stood and stared back at the man, waiting for the words to sink in.

And it didn't take long. A deep line etched itself across the Unspeakable's brow that quickly turned to an expression of concern.

"He's cutting himself off from 'his' magical ability." Orion repeated. "There's no differentiation."

Lupin shook his head. "No. There's still some. But the gap is narrowing. The fact that Voldemort, trying to suppress Sirius' side of the personality, caused this worried me. So I studied the spell a bit closer. Apparently the more one act effects the other, the closer the two personalities become."

"Until?" Orion ask.

Lupin fixed a hard stare on the man. "Until there is no more question which personality is dominant."

"Because there won't be two personalities anymore." Orion finished for him.

Lupin nodded. "The two personalities are merging faster than I anticipated. So much so, that I doubt Voldemort even realizes what is happening. The only thing I can imagine causing this...is Sirius."

"Sirius?"

"Voldemort may be able to stop him from interacting with the world outside of his body, but he can't stop him from acting from within. It appears that Sirius is pushing the merger forward."

Orion grabbed the man by the front of his shirt. "You're saying my brother is causing this intentionally!"

"I don't know." Lupin replied calmly.

"But he'll destroy himself in the process!"

Lupin simply stared back at the man.

Orion let go of Lupin as he turned to pacing the room. "He never thinks things through." he stated. "Always impulsive. Always living in the moment. He isn't thinking!"

"He's trying to do what he feels is necessary." Lupin replied. "And his playing field isn't as large as yours or mine right now. He only has so much to work with and he's trying to make the best use of it. And I am just guessing here." he added quickly. "Sirius may be no more aware of what effect whatever he's doing is having than Voldemort."

"Well, whatever he's doing, he's going to stop." Orion stated, pointing a finger at the man. "He's going to listen to me for once in his life."

"Well, before he'll listen to you, you have to find Voldemort, then convince him to let you talk to Sirius."

Orion turned a hard stare on the man. "You have yet to present a problem." He replied, then turned back to the room. "Bo!"

Almost instantly a tower of black robes appeared in front of the Unspeakable.

"Bring Voldemort here. Now." Orion stated, pointing the space between them.

As soon as Orion stopped talking, Voldemort stood before him.

Any surprise or irritation the dark lord may have felt at the sudden alteration in his surroundings quickly disappeared behind his usual mask of indifference as he faced first the boggart, then turned his attention to the Unspeakable.

"A simple request would have sufficed." he stated.

"Nothing with you is simple." Orion snapped back at the man. "I want to speak to my brother...now."

Voldemort stared back at the man as though considering the request. "And I should do this why?" he finally ask.

"Because it'll be a lot easier and a great deal less painful for you rather than having me rip your personality out of the body one piece at a time."

Voldemort considered the man before him before shifting his attention slightly to Lupin, who was standing just behind Orion. "Do you have anything to add that might better explain why I should grant this request?" He ask. "Because at the moment..."

Orion grabbed the man's shirt. "'At the moment' is exactly how you are ticking off the remainder of your miserable life."

Lupin took a tentative step forward. There was no easy way to explain what he suspected without opening up several other doors to Voldemort's often keener than normal reasoning ability. "We suspect that there is a possibility that Sirius may be effecting the course of the spell."

Voldemort frowned as he considered this new piece of information. "Impossible. Black barely qualifies as an after thought right now. There is no way he could be effecting the spell himself."

Orion gave the man a smug smile. "Anymore than he could be accelerating the merger of your two personalities?"

Voldemort studied the man for a moment, then shifted his attention back to Lupin. "Explain."

Lupin sighed to himself. This is just where he hadn't wanted this conversation to go. "From what has already happened, I suspect that Sirius may be the cause of the acceleration of the merger of the personalities. It could either be by accident or it may be his way to try to..."

"...to stop me." Voldemort finished. "Lovely. And you were planning on telling me any of this 'when'?"

"We aren't sure exactly what is causing the merger to accelerate." Lupin explained. "This is all merely conjecture at the moment. But Sirius may be able to shed some light on the matter. He may, if fact, simply being doing something that to him is harmless, but is, in effect, causing the problem."

Voldemort frowned at the other man. "I have, more often than not, found that Black is the problem." He replied, turning back to Orion. "Do make sure it is a worthwhile conversation you have with your brother, Mr. Black. Or it may very well be the last one you ever have with him."

Before Orion could respond, Voldemort closed his eyes, a look of deep concentration overtaking his expression before it suddenly relaxed.

Once again the eyes opened. But the whole look in them was different now. One of someone just waking up and not being entirely sure of where they were. But as his gaze focused on Orion, the gaze sharpened into one of disapproval.

"Am I ever going to be able to do one thing in my life that you won't interfere with?" Sirius ask his older brother.

"You brought me into this. Don't expect me to stand back and do nothing while you effectively try to kill yourself."

"I wasn't doing anything of the sort!" Sirius stated firmly, but just as quickly turned his attention to the figure behind him. "Hi, Bo."

The boggart gave him a friendly wave.

"Sirius," Lupin spoke up quickly, "how much do you know about what's going on?"

"Pretty much everything." he answered, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Do you really think I'm responsible for what happened, Remus?"

"It depends. What have you been doing?"

"Well, I haven't been trying to accelerate any merger, that's for sure."

"What have you been doing?"

"Trying to stand my ground." Sirius explained. "The harder he pushes, the harder I try to push back. I grab whatever opportunity I can and try to assert my own personality, not the other way around."

Lupin nodded. "Same difference though." he replied.

Orion folded his arms across his chest. "Meaning?"

"There's no balance." Lupin replied. "Sirius is basically fighting Voldemort every step of the way for dominance of the body's conscience mind. Voldemort is the holder of the spell, but Sirius is the body's original personality. That's causing a lot of strain on things. Sirius may not be consciously trying to accelerate the spell's conclusion, but he's doing it just the same."

"So how do we stop it?" Orion ask.

"If either personality is going to survive, you have to start working together."

"Then he needs to stop trying to shove me in a corner." Sirius replied, a small smile crossing his face. "Because if he doesn't..."

Orion pulled his younger brother back around to face him. "You will not pursue this." He stated determinedly. "You are going to back off and let us handle this."

"You handed me a trump card." Sirius replied. "You can't expect me not to play it."

"Even if winning the game could still cost you your life?"

Sirius met his brother's stare. "He's effectively killing me anyway as things are." he answered. "Fast or slow. What difference does it make?" Sirius turned back to Lupin. "You tell Voldemort that if he doesn't comply, follow your instructions, and even out the field a good bit more, I'll keep doing what I'm doing. And he's already well aware he can't stop me. And then, pretty soon, it won't matter which of us won the game."

**Q&A**

MasterLupin:

"**Brace for impact boys, ruff seas ahead!" Good luck with your little wet problem coming in. I pray that it doesn't do anything.  
Anyway that little quote has a double meaning, one is obvious, two will be in a moment. My powers of deductive logic are tingling; informing me that an important plot development is about to be revealed in the next chapter. So for this reason I will hold off any predictions pending the new information that could help shape my thoughts on the future of the story.  
So instead I will do some character analysis. Voldemort, oh Tom what have you gotten yourself into? He seems to be forming a rather strong Hitler complex to me, a strong charismatic leader, who can bring an end to an undefined threat from the North. Bringing many under his control while being positively evil and making people think he's a good boy, while he's doing it. He is a strategist, and in the past his plans have all succeeded, that was until Harry. Even then undaunted by what many would see as a blunder, he has persisted with carrying out his agenda. With his moderate successes presently he is slowly but steadily becoming overconfident and delusional.  
His belief in himself will cause him to make critical mistakes. He will never be able to turn Arabela to him, for he has overlooked her personal moral beliefs; even by trying to be more Sirius like he will fail. He has also misjudged Harry, thinking that he will do whatever Arabela doses or tells him to. Harry has until this story or more specifically the last story in this series, been living on his own emotionally, and for the most part without any real parenting. As fast as he is to accept parents into his life to provide guidance in his adolescence, he will not forget what it was like without them. He will also not forget why he had to live with the Dursleys in the first place, Voldemort having killed his first parents and having taken a second father figure from him now. He will never join with Voldemort even if Dumbledore told him to, he would rather kill Voldemort in revenge for his life having been so unpleasant.**

Well, thankfully, Ernesto crapped out big time. We barely even got any rain out of him, let alone any wind.

And it seems even the predictors can't make heads or tails out of this hurricane season. We started with 13 named storms, then nine, then seven, and now five. There was a 59 chance one would hit the US, we are now at 35. And five were suppose to be major storms, now we are at three. Folks, I could have predicted better than that!

You might want to hold off on your predictions two more chapters. Yes, plot alerting things are coming.

You have, without a doubt, done some serious psychoanalyzing of dear old Tom. And that has got to be one of the best I've seen lately.

Indeed, the man woke up this morning and took his 'Little Hitler' pills. But overconfident and delusional? That remains to be seen.

A strategist? Absolutely. The man doesn't make a step that isn't carefully planned. And he's already said outright he has a plan for all this. His reasoning being that somebody ought to.

Whether or not and who Voldemort can manipulate in this also has yet to be seen. But for me to say anymore on that subject could effectively kill off the need for a few chapters.

Harry will never join Voldemort out of revenge? You're making Harry sound a little petty there, Dear. And Voldemort has yet to ask Harry to 'join' him. He has only stated he needs him to find the WitN. Nothing more. And I think Harry would choose the greater good over his own needs no matter what.

But time will tell. In the end Harry will have to make a decision on several matters. And he will have nothing more to help him than his own sense of morals.

Speaking of morals, thank you for acknowledging that Arabella does have some. Several people seem to feel she has tossed them aside simply to grab for a little gusto. Currently Arabella is no more sure of things than anyone else. All she knows is that somewhere under that charming and charismatic shell is Sirius. But in order to keep him safe, she has to walk a very fine line. The person who keeps moving the mark is Voldemort. A man who, for possibly the first time in his life, is looking at a woman and starting to think 'Wow, is that what I've been missing?'.

My advice? Give yourself a rest, Dear. Hold onto the prediction for the next few chapters, then...hit me.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome, awesome, awesome chapter!It was so good! Please update soon! And good luck with Ernesto. I'll be following here in New Jersey.**

First off, thank you, Dear. I am so glad you joined my reviewing group and that you are enjoying the story.

Now, you know, when I first read this, I thought, 'Phhhfttttt. New Jersey. Following that storm on the weather channel is all she'll be doing'.

How wrong I was!

Who would have predicted (Well, MasterLupin, maybe.) that Ernesto would be effecting your weather as well as ours? And that of our two states, you would get the worst of it. I mean, you at least got RAIN! We got this piddly stuff that was just barely classified over being a thick fog.

So, it just goes to show, you never know.

Silverfox:

**I don't think Ernesto would have picked that name, if you'd asked him, but then again have you ever tried to pronounce the sound of a hurricane? That's probably what he'd have told you his real name is.  
So, you don't have any hurt kids and nothing on fire, but the house might have been flooded and you might find a couple of baby dragons under the kids' beds? (Bo: Well, you didn't say I was to prevent them from getting new pets.)  
hugs gold star Thank you! So pretty!**  
**I like how Remus tricked Voldemort in this chapter. The Dark Lord clearly isn't as mighty as most people see him. I'm also beginning to like him as a character and that is quite a feat.**

Well, I never said Bo was easy to communicate your wishes to. In fact, I think I've always advocated just the opposite. And that that was one of the reasons Orion doesn't exactly encourage him to have contact with other people and vice versa. Orion understands Bo probably better than anyone. He is, in fact, the first non-host to ever try communicating with Bo as a person and not as a non-corporeal entity. He treats him like a person. A sometimes irritating, irrational, difficult to understand one; but a person just the same.

Another large difference between Orion's relationship to Bo and that of the other hosts, is that Orion actually likes Bo. He's his first magic teacher, another family member, his confidant, his protector, and his friend. On the flip side, Orion is the one thing Bo can understand him as. He's his friend.

Glad you liked the star, Dear.

Well, it isn't so much that he isn't as mighty as most people may think of him so much as he's sailing on a slightly uneven keel right now. (OK, technically he always was.) But he's fighting a lot of forces from without and within all at the same time. He is trying to manage an unpredictable spell, trying to stay within the parameters of the secretkeeper spell on Harry, trying to manage Sirius and keep him in line, trying to keep things moving along the lines he's laid out for finding the WitN, trying to work with a man who is essentially everything he doesn't believe in, trying to keep his Deatheaters in line, work with an Unspeakable, a werewolf, and a teenager, and all the while trying to figure out how he managed not to notice how good a certain little witch looks in those robes.

Ohhhhh...my life is now complete! Thank you for saying that. One of my major goals in this was to work him into being a semi-likable character. And there's a reason for that. Which will become more obvious as the story goes along.

Skahducky:

**I guess Lupin's hypothesis (although wasn't it just proved when Voldemort tried to give Sirius a little more free reign?) is good in that we'll see a whole lot more of Sirius. Also, when Voldemort and Harry go off in search of the wizard in the north, Harry will definitely feel a bit more comfortable if Voldemort lets Sirius out every once in a while. Will Voldemort eventually leave Sirius' body, or are you planning to keep them in the same body for more or less forever?  
Please update soon!**

Ohhhhhhhh, Dear, I am so sorry. But thanks for playing and we have some lovely parting gifts for you.

In other words, sorry, no. Not going to see 'a whole lot more' of Sirius. Based on this chapter you will see more of his personality, but not more of him personally. And that is going to effect how Voldemort relates to those around him a great deal.

Now, Voldemort will be letting Sirius 'out' a bit more, so you will see more of him. But I hesitate to tag that with 'a whole lot more'.

Now, how can I answer that without making the whole rest of the story redundant? Sorry, Dear. Can't answer that one.

All reviews are as of 09/02/2006.

And remember;

Ernesto was just another Cuban trying to make it to Florida's shores.

(Little hurricane humor there.)


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: I have no idea what happened to the first installment of this chapter. So I am posting it again.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: BRIDGE**

Lupin sighed as he faced Orion, then slowly nodded. "I felt there were things best not said." he replied.

"What things?" Orion all but demanded.

"You understand what I told Voldemort?" Lupin asked.

"I understood that in trying to keep my brother under lock and key he is effectively cutting himself off from half of his magical ability."

Lupin simply stood and stared back at the man, waiting for the words to sink in.

And it didn't take long. A deep line etched itself across the Unspeakable's brow that quickly turned to an expression of concern.

"He's cutting himself off from 'his' magical ability." Orion repeated. "There's no differentiation."

Lupin shook his head. "No. There's still some. But the gap is narrowing. The fact that Voldemort, trying to suppress Sirius' side of the personality, caused this worried me. So I studied the spell a bit closer. Apparently the more one act effects the other, the closer the two personalities become."

"Until?" Orion ask.

Lupin fixed a hard stare on the man. "Until there is no more question which personality is dominant."

"Because there won't be two personalities anymore." Orion finished for him.

Lupin nodded. "The two personalities are merging faster than I anticipated. So much so, that I doubt Voldemort even realizes what is happening. The only thing I can imagine causing this...is Sirius."

"Sirius?"

"Voldemort may be able to stop him from interacting with the world outside of his body, but he can't stop him from acting from within. It appears that Sirius is pushing the merger forward."

Orion grabbed the man by the front of his shirt. "You're saying my brother is causing this intentionally!"

"I don't know." Lupin replied calmly.

"But he'll destroy himself in the process!"

Lupin simply stared back at the man.

Orion let go of Lupin as he turned to pacing the room. "He never thinks things through." he stated. "Always impulsive. Always living in the moment. He isn't thinking!"

"He's trying to do what he feels is necessary." Lupin replied. "And his playing field isn't as large as yours or mine right now. He only has so much to work with and he's trying to make the best use of it. And I am just guessing here." he added quickly. "Sirius may be no more aware of what effect whatever he's doing is having than Voldemort."

"Well, whatever he's doing, he's going to stop." Orion stated, pointing a finger at the man. "He's going to listen to me for once in his life."

"Well, before he'll listen to you, you have to find Voldemort, then convince him to let you talk to Sirius."

Orion turned a hard stare on the man. "You have yet to present a problem." He replied, then turned back to the room. "Bo!"

Almost instantly a tower of black robes appeared in front of the Unspeakable.

"Bring Voldemort here. Now." Orion stated, pointing the space between them.

As soon as Orion stopped talking, Voldemort stood before him.

Any surprise or irritation the dark lord may have felt at the sudden alteration in his surroundings quickly disappeared behind his usual mask of indifference as he faced first the boggart, then turned his attention to the Unspeakable.

"A simple request would have sufficed." he stated.

"Nothing with you is simple." Orion snapped back at the man. "I want to speak to my brother...now."

Voldemort stared back at the man as though considering the request. "And I should do this why?" he finally ask.

"Because it'll be a lot easier and a great deal less painful for you rather than having me rip your personality out of the body one piece at a time."

Voldemort considered the man before him before shifting his attention slightly to Lupin, who was standing just behind Orion. "Do you have anything to add that might better explain why I should grant this request?" He ask. "Because at the moment..."

Orion grabbed the man's shirt. "'At the moment' is exactly how you are ticking off the remainder of your miserable life."

Lupin took a tentative step forward. There was no easy way to explain what he suspected without opening up several other doors to Voldemort's often keener than normal reasoning ability. "We suspect that there is a possibility that Sirius may be effecting the course of the spell."

Voldemort frowned as he considered this new piece of information. "Impossible. Black barely qualifies as an after thought right now. There is no way he could be effecting the spell himself."

Orion gave the man a smug smile. "Anymore than he could be accelerating the merger of your two personalities?"

Voldemort studied the man for a moment, then shifted his attention back to Lupin. "Explain."

Lupin sighed to himself. This is just where he hadn't wanted this conversation to go. "From what has already happened, I suspect that Sirius may be the cause of the acceleration of the merger of the personalities. It could either be by accident or it may be his way to try to..."

"...to stop me." Voldemort finished. "Lovely. And you were planning on telling me any of this 'when'?"

"We aren't sure exactly what is causing the merger to accelerate." Lupin explained. "This is all merely conjecture at the moment. But Sirius may be able to shed some light on the matter. He may, if fact, simply being doing something that to him is harmless, but is, in effect, causing the problem."

Voldemort frowned at the other man. "I have, more often than not, found that Black is the problem." He replied, turning back to Orion. "Do make sure it is a worthwhile conversation you have with your brother, Mr. Black. Or it may very well be the last one you ever have with him."

Before Orion could respond, Voldemort closed his eyes, a look of deep concentration overtaking his expression before it suddenly relaxed.

Once again the eyes opened. But the whole look in them was different now. One of someone just waking up and not being entirely sure of where they were. But as his gaze focused on Orion, the gaze sharpened into one of disapproval.

"Am I ever going to be able to do one thing in my life that you won't interfere with?" Sirius ask his older brother.

"You brought me into this. Don't expect me to stand back and do nothing while you effectively try to kill yourself."

"I wasn't doing anything of the sort!" Sirius stated firmly, but just as quickly turned his attention to the figure behind him. "Hi, Bo."

The boggart gave him a friendly wave.

"Sirius," Lupin spoke up quickly, "how much do you know about what's going on?"

"Pretty much everything." he answered, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Do you really think I'm responsible for what happened, Remus?"

"It depends. What have you been doing?"

"Well, I haven't been trying to accelerate any merger, that's for sure."

"What have you been doing?"

"Trying to stand my ground." Sirius explained. "The harder he pushes, the harder I try to push back. I grab whatever opportunity I can and try to assert my own personality, not the other way around."

Lupin nodded. "Same difference though." he replied.

Orion folded his arms across his chest. "Meaning?"

"There's no balance." Lupin replied. "Sirius is basically fighting Voldemort every step of the way for dominance of the body's conscience mind. Voldemort is the holder of the spell, but Sirius is the body's original personality. That's causing a lot of strain on things. Sirius may not be consciously trying to accelerate the spell's conclusion, but he's doing it just the same."

"So how do we stop it?" Orion ask.

"If either personality is going to survive, you have to start working together."

"Then he needs to stop trying to shove me in a corner." Sirius replied, a small smile crossing his face. "Because if he doesn't..."

Orion pulled his younger brother back around to face him. "You will not pursue this." He stated determinedly. "You are going to back off and let us handle this."

"You handed me a trump card." Sirius replied. "You can't expect me not to play it."

"Even if winning the game could still cost you your life?"

Sirius met his brother's stare. "He's effectively killing me anyway as things are." he answered. "Fast or slow. What difference does it make?" Sirius turned back to Lupin. "You tell Voldemort that if he doesn't comply, follow your instructions, and even out the field a good bit more, I'll keep doing what I'm doing. And he's already well aware he can't stop me. And then, pretty soon, it won't matter which of us won the game."

**Q&A**

MasterLupin:

"**Brace for impact boys, ruff seas ahead!" Good luck with your little wet problem coming in. I pray that it doesn't do anything.  
Anyway that little quote has a double meaning, one is obvious, two will be in a moment. My powers of deductive logic are tingling; informing me that an important plot development is about to be revealed in the next chapter. So for this reason I will hold off any predictions pending the new information that could help shape my thoughts on the future of the story.  
So instead I will do some character analysis. Voldemort, oh Tom what have you gotten yourself into? He seems to be forming a rather strong Hitler complex to me, a strong charismatic leader, who can bring an end to an undefined threat from the North. Bringing many under his control while being positively evil and making people think he's a good boy, while he's doing it. He is a strategist, and in the past his plans have all succeeded, that was until Harry. Even then undaunted by what many would see as a blunder, he has persisted with carrying out his agenda. With his moderate successes presently he is slowly but steadily becoming overconfident and delusional.  
His belief in himself will cause him to make critical mistakes. He will never be able to turn Arabela to him, for he has overlooked her personal moral beliefs; even by trying to be more Sirius like he will fail. He has also misjudged Harry, thinking that he will do whatever Arabela doses or tells him to. Harry has until this story or more specifically the last story in this series, been living on his own emotionally, and for the most part without any real parenting. As fast as he is to accept parents into his life to provide guidance in his adolescence, he will not forget what it was like without them. He will also not forget why he had to live with the Dursleys in the first place, Voldemort having killed his first parents and having taken a second father figure from him now. He will never join with Voldemort even if Dumbledore told him to, he would rather kill Voldemort in revenge for his life having been so unpleasant.**

Well, thankfully, Ernesto crapped out big time. We barely even got any rain out of him, let alone any wind.

And it seems even the predictors can't make heads or tails out of this hurricane season. We started with 13 named storms, then nine, then seven, and now five. There was a 59 chance one would hit the US, we are now at 35. And five were suppose to be major storms, now we are at three. Folks, I could have predicted better than that!

You might want to hold off on your predictions two more chapters. Yes, plot alerting things are coming.

You have, without a doubt, done some serious psychoanalyzing of dear old Tom. And that has got to be one of the best I've seen lately.

Indeed, the man woke up this morning and took his 'Little Hitler' pills. But overconfident and delusional? That remains to be seen.

A strategist? Absolutely. The man doesn't make a step that isn't carefully planned. And he's already said outright he has a plan for all this. His reasoning being that somebody ought to.

Whether or not and who Voldemort can manipulate in this also has yet to be seen. But for me to say anymore on that subject could effectively kill off the need for a few chapters.

Harry will never join Voldemort out of revenge? You're making Harry sound a little petty there, Dear. And Voldemort has yet to ask Harry to 'join' him. He has only stated he needs him to find the WitN. Nothing more. And I think Harry would choose the greater good over his own needs no matter what.

But time will tell. In the end Harry will have to make a decision on several matters. And he will have nothing more to help him than his own sense of morals.

Speaking of morals, thank you for acknowledging that Arabella does have some. Several people seem to feel she has tossed them aside simply to grab for a little gusto. Currently Arabella is no more sure of things than anyone else. All she knows is that somewhere under that charming and charismatic shell is Sirius. But in order to keep him safe, she has to walk a very fine line. The person who keeps moving the mark is Voldemort. A man who, for possibly the first time in his life, is looking at a woman and starting to think 'Wow, is that what I've been missing?'.

My advice? Give yourself a rest, Dear. Hold onto the prediction for the next few chapters, then...hit me.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome, awesome, awesome chapter!It was so good! Please update soon! And good luck with Ernesto. I'll be following here in New Jersey.**

First off, thank you, Dear. I am so glad you joined my reviewing group and that you are enjoying the story.

Now, you know, when I first read this, I thought, 'Phhhfttttt. New Jersey. Following that storm on the weather channel is all she'll be doing'.

How wrong I was!

Who would have predicted (Well, MasterLupin, maybe.) that Ernesto would be effecting your weather as well as ours? And that of our two states, you would get the worst of it. I mean, you at least got RAIN! We got this piddly stuff that was just barely classified over being a thick fog.

So, it just goes to show, you never know.

Silverfox:

**I don't think Ernesto would have picked that name, if you'd asked him, but then again have you ever tried to pronounce the sound of a hurricane? That's probably what he'd have told you his real name is.  
So, you don't have any hurt kids and nothing on fire, but the house might have been flooded and you might find a couple of baby dragons under the kids' beds? (Bo: Well, you didn't say I was to prevent them from getting new pets.)  
hugs gold star Thank you! So pretty!**  
**I like how Remus tricked Voldemort in this chapter. The Dark Lord clearly isn't as mighty as most people see him. I'm also beginning to like him as a character and that is quite a feat.**

Well, I never said Bo was easy to communicate your wishes to. In fact, I think I've always advocated just the opposite. And that that was one of the reasons Orion doesn't exactly encourage him to have contact with other people and vice versa. Orion understands Bo probably better than anyone. He is, in fact, the first non-host to ever try communicating with Bo as a person and not as a non-corporeal entity. He treats him like a person. A sometimes irritating, irrational, difficult to understand one; but a person just the same.

Another large difference between Orion's relationship to Bo and that of the other hosts, is that Orion actually likes Bo. He's his first magic teacher, another family member, his confidant, his protector, and his friend. On the flip side, Orion is the one thing Bo can understand him as. He's his friend.

Glad you liked the star, Dear.

Well, it isn't so much that he isn't as mighty as most people may think of him so much as he's sailing on a slightly uneven keel right now. (OK, technically he always was.) But he's fighting a lot of forces from without and within all at the same time. He is trying to manage an unpredictable spell, trying to stay within the parameters of the secretkeeper spell on Harry, trying to manage Sirius and keep him in line, trying to keep things moving along the lines he's laid out for finding the WitN, trying to work with a man who is essentially everything he doesn't believe in, trying to keep his Deatheaters in line, work with an Unspeakable, a werewolf, and a teenager, and all the while trying to figure out how he managed not to notice how good a certain little witch looks in those robes.

Ohhhhh...my life is now complete! Thank you for saying that. One of my major goals in this was to work him into being a semi-likable character. And there's a reason for that. Which will become more obvious as the story goes along.

Skahducky:

**I guess Lupin's hypothesis (although wasn't it just proved when Voldemort tried to give Sirius a little more free reign?) is good in that we'll see a whole lot more of Sirius. Also, when Voldemort and Harry go off in search of the wizard in the north, Harry will definitely feel a bit more comfortable if Voldemort lets Sirius out every once in a while. Will Voldemort eventually leave Sirius' body, or are you planning to keep them in the same body for more or less forever?  
Please update soon!**

Ohhhhhhhh, Dear, I am so sorry. But thanks for playing and we have some lovely parting gifts for you.

In other words, sorry, no. Not going to see 'a whole lot more' of Sirius. Based on this chapter you will see more of his personality, but not more of him personally. And that is going to effect how Voldemort relates to those around him a great deal.

Now, Voldemort will be letting Sirius 'out' a bit more, so you will see more of him. But I hesitate to tag that with 'a whole lot more'.

Now, how can I answer that without making the whole rest of the story redundant? Sorry, Dear. Can't answer that one.

All reviews are as of 09/02/2006.

And remember;

Ernesto was just another Cuban trying to make it to Florida's shores.

(Little hurricane humor there.)


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: This will be my last post for a while, folks. PAR is going on vacation. My first in absolutely years that didn't involve surgery. So, I'm giving you an extra long chapter today. I'll see you back when my plane lands three Sunday's from now. In the days inbetween I hope to be rolling in the clover in Ireland.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: PLACES INBETWEEN**

Voldemort sat once more in his rooms at the castle, tapping his foot absently on the floor as he thought over the situation.

So, Black had managed to pull an ace out of his hat. The question was, was the man insane enough to use it?

The werewolf had seemed to think so, urging him over and over to take his advice and learn to work with Black rather than locking him away.

And what was so wrong with that anyway? What was it Black was complaining about exactly? It wasn't as though he was anywhere unpleasant. He was in his own little area of his mind. He could sit there and play cricket all day for all Voldemort cared. Just as long as he stayed out of his way and out of his thoughts.

A pain shooting up his leg distracted him from his thoughts and he grimaced against it, quickly reaching down to rub the ensuing cramp out of the muscles.

The leg was getting to be a serious problem. Four and five times a day he would have to stop what he was doing and tend to it. How did Black put up with it? And why hadn't he done something about it before now?

Sighing to himself, Voldemort got to his feet as he reached for the cane next to his chair. A constant companion these days. He decided the best thing for it was a walk. That usually relaxed the muscles for several hours and gave him a little bit of relief.

He was nearly to the lake when he looked up and noticed the figure standing by the shore, gazing out over the water.

Arabella.

He watched her for several minutes. She never moved. Only stood there, with her arms crossed over her chest, staring at some point beyond as the wind gently lifted her hair and blew it around her shoulders.

Considering his options, which narrowed down to either retreat or go forward, he slowly plodded onward, leaning against the head of his cane for support.

Reaching the shoreline, he took up a post next to her, but still a respectable distance from her.

For several minutes neither of them spoke a word until Arabella finally turned to him, her arms remaining defiantly crossed in front of her.

"So what are you going to do?" she ask in a none-to-friendly tone.

Voldemort never shifted his attention from whatever he had chosen to focus on out in the water. "About what?"

"Don't play games with me, Voldemort." She stated fiercely. "I'm not in the mood."

Voldemort turned t look at her. "You mean about Black?"

"Yes. Sirius. What are you going to do?"

Voldemort turned his attention back to the lake. "I haven't decided yet. But according to the old werewolf, my options are somewhat limited."

Arabella sighed inwardly with a small touch of relief. She knew what Lupin had told Voldemort about the situation and what his recommendation was. Voldemort had to loosen his hold on Sirius more. Allow him more freedom. And maybe as result of that she would see even more of him in the person she currently faced. "Why did you even choose him?" She finally stated, none of the anger going out of her tone. "Why even do any of this?"

"What did you want me to do, Arabella?" He ask, turning back to her. "I needed a body and I needed one fast. The one I had was failing, I wasn't sure why, and I couldn't stop it. All I had to work with was an obscure spell and a lot of luck and bloody little time. I was lucky to even find the spell, much less make it work the way I needed it to. Black fit all the criteria for the spell's parameters. And it wasn't as though I can go to another body. I'm as much a prisoner right now as he is."

Arabella brushed a few wayward strands of hair out of her face. "What about your oh-so-loyal Deatheaters? Surely one of them would have considered it an honor to give up their body to you."

Voldemort found himself momentarily distracted by her action. But he quickly shook it off. He had to stay focused. This was the one person he absolutely needed to trust him. "They didn't even know me. I would more then likely have been killed on sight. Is that what you would have wanted to have had happened to your loving fiance?"

"They didn't know you then." Arabella corrected. "What about now? Or before all of this even started. When you were still in your old body? Why didn't you go to one of them then and allow them this wonderful honor?"

Voldemort sighed to himself. "I told you. I needed a body and I needed one fast. But there were...parameters that needed to be met. And I didn't have unlimited time. I needed to act quickly, and the only person I could think of who fit the criteria closely enough was Black."

Arabella stared at the man, then sighed softly as she turned and started to walk away.

"You don't believe me." He stated, catching up to her.

"What I believe is irrelevant, Voldemort."

"Not to me." He replied, taking her arm and gently turning her back to him. But he quickly dropped his hold when she shook him off. "I value your opinion. And the others listen to you. They look to you for guidance and as a type of barometer on the level of truth in what I tell them. If you don't trust me, no one is likely to either."

Arabella stopped and turned back to him. She simply wasn't in the mood for his vacillating temperament today. "All right." She stated. You want to know what I think? I think you have had all this planned from the start, Voldemort. Every little thing, down to the minutest detail I think you have orchestrated."

The man in front of her smiled. "Really?" He inquired, folding his arms across his chest to meet her stance. "Then let me ask you something. If I was planning all along to take over Black's body, why did I allow Snape to kill him?"

"But you didn't." Arabella snapped back past a narrowed stare.

"I didn't know that Snape had lied about killing him. I didn't find out until days later that Black was still alive. So how could I have been planning this 'from the start' as you say, if I thought my ultimate target was dead?"

Arabella decided quite quickly she hated that smile. There wasn't one ounce of warmth in it. It was far to smug and self-satisfied for her liking.

"Well?"

Arabella turned and started off across the lawn again without answering him.

"Ah! I see." Voldemort stated, again catching up to her despite her faster than average steps. "I have to answer your questions, but you don't have to answer mine, is that it?"

"That's it." Arabella confirmed.

"Hardly fair."

"Life isn't, I'm told." She replied. But stopping suddenly, she turned sharply back to him. "But I will tell you one thing I don't believe, Voldemort."

The man had to stop abruptly to keep from running into her. "And that is?"

"I don't believe that getting Sirius' body was your 'ultimate goal'. Nor do I think is finding this wizard. I know you. That's all just too simple for you. You have something grander in mind here."

The smile quickly came back. "For instance?"

Arabella raised her chin. She didn't want to admit she wasn't sure exactly what his final plans were. "You tell me." She stated instead.

Voldemort gave her a small laugh. "You have quite an imagination, Ms. Figg."

"Then prove me wrong." Arabella stated, leaning a bit closer so she was staring up into his face. "I dare you."

Voldemort smiled again as he watched her go. Magic, but this woman struck a cord in him like no one else.

"I would be careful about making bets with me, Arabella." He said softly. "Your track record isn't currently very good in that area."

Arabella cursed softly as she heard his steps coming up behind her. Why couldn't the man go on his way and let her go on her's?

"So," she began as he came up beside her again, feeling she might as well make good use of the time and see what information she could get, "While your off looking for this wizard, what will the Deatheaters be doing?"

"If they're smart, they'll be behaving themselves."

"And if they don't?"

A small smile crept across his face. "Well, then I guess I'll have to punish those who don't behave."

"'Torture' you mean."

"I suppose that's a matter of your point of view." he replied mildly.

"Point of view?"

"Yes. I'm sure a five year old child considers a spanking torture. Or being sent to bed without supper. Or being deprived of a favorite toy."

Arabella stopped and faced him. "You can't be seriously trying to compare the two?" she ask incredulously.

"In perspective, yes. They're adults, Arabella. And strong willed ones at that. Any other kind are practically useless to me. My followers have to believe in me and in what they are doing. But they have to be above all, loyal. If they fail in that, they'll fail in every other area as well. Therefore, if I find disloyalty in one of them, I tend to like to 'nip it in the bud', as they say. Disloyalty is the start of greater problems, you see? And it is the worst crime against me. So the punishment has to fit that crime. If a muggle robbed a store, he isn't treated as though he were caught jaywalking."

Arabella could think of no answer to that that wouldn't precipitate an even longer argument. So she decided to explore a different avenue instead. But before she could get out her next question, her foot slipped out from under her on a patch of wet, semi-frozen ground. With a slight cry of alarm, she tried to regain her balance, but prepared herself for the fall.

But it never came.

Two strong arms caught her and held onto her until she regained her footing.

Turning briefly to the man next to her, who still kept a tight grip around her waist, she gave him a small, embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was stepping."

One arm remained firmly about her waist as Voldemort directed her on. "There are many such patches of frost still on the ground in the early morning. You have to be careful. You could have been seriously injured."

Acutely aware that he never removed his arm from around her waist, she tried to step out of his embrace, but he moved in perfect sync with her, keeping his arm where it was.

"I don't think I'm in any further danger of falling." She replied.

"There are several patches frozen patches between here and the castle. I want to make sure you make it safely through them. Four legs are more stable than two."

Arabella tried to think of some other argument to get him to remove his arm, but none came to her. Sighing in resolve, she decided on another topic.

"Voldemort, why did you even create the Deatheaters? It seems to me you could have accomplished a great deal more without them." she ask as he directed her back across the field.

Voldemort kept perfect pace with her. "Because I was threatened." He replied in a conversational tone. "Because the Ministry didn't like what I represented, which was something that opposed their narrow little view of things. And so they pushed, and I pushed back. And like any good school yard fight, soon we had a war." He turned that same smile to her. "And what's a war without soldiers?"

"And it doesn't hurt one little bit to have them around, does it?"

The smile faded a bit. "Meaning?"

"You don't fight your own battles, Voldemort. You have others do it for you. It may be a war to you, but your hardly on the front lines. That's where your 'soldiers' are. You seem better staying in the background shouting orders at everyone."

The smile returned. "Really? As I recall, one of the places we met, Ms. Figg, was on the battlefield."

"I remember." She replied, a sad look appearing in her eyes. "And as I recall, you offered to cut out my heart."

Voldemort felt something tighten inside of him. For some odd reason he found he didn't like that look in her eyes. And he desperately sought a way to replace it with something else. "But I didn't." He reminded her.

To his dismay, the look not only didn't disappear, but became all the more evident in her eyes.

"But you did." She replied softly, then turned and, stepping free of his arm, started back towards the castle alone.

Standing at one of the tower windows, Harry watched the scene below him unfold with increasing interest.

Surely Voldemort had not put his arm around her waist.

And just as surely she had not allowed him to keep it there!

OK. She had slipped. Harry had seen that. But she hardly shook off his hold once she regained her balance. But from what Harry had last seen as they walked out of his view, his arm was still plastered exactly where it had no business being. Around his godmother.

Heaven only knew what they were doing once they got out of his view!

Harry tried to lean a little further out the window, trying to follow them as far as he could, but eventually it was no good. they were simply to far along for him to see them anymore.

He thought about hurrying down to the main hallway and 'accidentally' meeting them as they came in.

No. That was too obvious.

He could ask Arabella what Voldemort thought he was doing with his arm around her waist.

Right. That didn't sound like he was spying on them.

He could put a nice curse on the man. That held a certain amount of appeal.

No. That might hurt Sirius as well.

A brief thought suddenly brightened his view of the recent scene. Maybe that had been Sirius. Lupin had warned Voldemort to let his godfather out more. Maybe this was one of those times! He could ask Arabella about that.

Wait. He was back at the spying thing again. That wouldn't work.

Harry sighed as he leaned against the ledge. There had to be someone he could ask a few questions of who might be able to enlighten him as to what was going on between Voldemort and his godmother. But it had to be someone who knew and who had contact with them both. But Voldemort kept pretty much to himself. And anybody he ask about Arabella may say something to her about him asking questions.

He pondered the situation some more as he stared out over the field. Who would know if something was going on between the two of them, but wouldn't repeat any of his questions to either of them?

After several more minutes, his expression finally brightened. The answer, suddenly, seemed very obvious. He just had to figure out how to contact the person who he felt held the answers to all his questions where Voldemort and his godmother were concerned.

Back in his rooms, Voldemort rubbed his leg again. The walk hadn't helped at all. If anything, It had only served to irritate the muscles further.

Apparently the temporary measures he was taking for relief from the pain were no longer working as well as they had. It appeared more permanent solutions needed to be looked at now.

Pulling out his wand, he directed at the fire in his room.

"Katlin." He stated.

Griss had been at the castle for several days, tending to the Auror Black.

The request had originally come directly from Dumbledore, which Voldemort had found a bit odd at first. But Katlin had belied his concern by reminding him that Dumbledore also saw her relationship with the Auror as she presented it to everyone else. As two people very much in love. Therefore it was only natural that with the Auror ill, Dumbledore would call on her and her abilities as a natural healer to help in his recovery.

Though he still hadn't liked the idea, Voldemort had agreed to allow her to continue working with the school's head nurse to help in the Auror's recovery. It also availed him to having her close at hand should he need her. If she were outside of the castle, any time he needed her he would have had to have ask the old wizard to allow her admittance. Which didn't serve his purposes at all. Whether she was aware of it or not, currently she held far more sway with the Deatheaters than he did. Although they obeyed his orders, they 'listened' to her. And so most of his orders were relayed to them through Katlin. And for the time being, it suited his purposes to leave things as they were.

Almost instantly the fire flared up and within seconds Katlin emerged out of it, dressed in her usual garb these days of a simple, pull-over shirt and pair of long pants.

"Yes, my lord?" she ask dutifully.

"How is your work with the Auror Black coming?"

"He is responding well to the medicine. But he still suffers from the seizures. The head nurse feels it will be a permanent condition for him."

"And those responsible?"

"Are in Azkaban or dead, my lord, as they deserve for having taken such action without your sanctioning it."

Voldemort nodded. At least that plan had worked out to a satisfactory conclusion. "Good. Now I have need of your healing skills."

Katlin's face lit with concern. "You are ill?"

Voldemort sat and, pulling up the loose material of one pants leg, exposed the injured limb. It didn't take any great medical knowledge to recognize the injury, nor to assess the degree of it. The lower leg was little more than a twisted mass of flesh, scarred and barely recognizable.

Katlin gave no sign of surprise or shock at the sight. She had seen Sirius' leg in the early days of the injury and had offered time and again to try to recover more of it's mobility for him. But each time he had refused, little to her surprise.

Despite her assurances that her healing ability was innate for her, Sirius saw it as dark magic, which he wanted no part of. For his brother's sake he had accepted their marriage, but he was still an Auror, and she was still an Elite Deatheater, and some walls just didn't come down so easily.

"As you can see, Black's leg is injured, and it is a severe hindrance for me. I needed it tended to."

Katlin immediately knelt by his leg, running her hands over the injured flesh as though she sought out how deep the injury went.

"This is an old injury." She informed him, trying her best to make it sound as though she had never seen the leg before or knew anything of the injury. So she stuck to what her natural skills would tell her. "The bones have set and the muscles and flesh have long repaired themselves as best they could." She turned to look at the man in the chair. "I will do what I can, of course. But you have to understand that there is only so much I can do. It will take time, it will not be comfortable, and when I am done I can not say there will be that much improvement."

"As long as there is some. Even the potions to arrest the pain are not helping much anymore."

Katlin sighed as she ran her hands over the leg once more. "The day may come when the leg will need to be amputated. There is just too much damage and only so much I can do."

It was an old argument for her. She had made the suggestion to Sirius before. And he had always bulked at it, protesting that the problems the leg gave him weren't that bad. Voldemort was showing her what an adept liar her brother-in-law was when he wanted to be.

Long hours later, Katlin finally straighten up from her position on one of the ottoman's, carefully easing the leg back to the floor as she stood.

"That is all I can do for now." She informed Voldemort. It should ease some of the pain and give a small amount of better mobility for you with the leg. But there will still be the possibility that the leg will give out on you from time to time. Cause you to stumble, or not move in a way you want it to. Don't press things, is my advice."

Voldemort acknowledged her advice with a slight nod. "You did well, Katlin. You may return now to your other duties."

Katlin paused, staring down at the man in the chair before her. It wasn't often that she refused a direct dismissal, but she needed information now.

Voldemort turned his attention back to her. "Yes?"

Katlin gathered herself for whatever response her question got. These days she was no more sure of his reaction to anything as anyone else was. "What are your plans now, my lord?" she ask hesitantly. "Those in the lair have heard very little from you regarding them, and they are growing restless. They are becoming worried things might...change."

Voldemort turned his attention to the fire before him. "Nothing has changed." he responded coldly. "If any of them question you on my plans again, or are insubordinate to you, kill them. I have no tolerance for such petty acts among my followers. Make sure they understand that."

Katlin gave a slight bow. "Yes, my lord." And without further questions, she disappeared back into the fire.

**Q&A**

**Family Life **

knightsbridge:

**Do we ever get to find out who Snapes "date" was that gave Harry that awful box?  
Ops, that was a question, not a review. One review coming right up: A tight, well written, well thought out and great story line. Almosr wants to make me rush through to get to "Family Relations" and the rest of your stories.  
One comment: You DO have a thing for poisoning your characters, yes?**

As you went on in this story, you did find out more about Analisa, although you still don't have the whole story on her. You will find out more about her in Family Life's sequel, Family Relations.

I have nothing against questions, Dear. Most of my reviews are questions. And as long as they don't give too much away, I have no issues in answering them.

I do seem to like poisoning people, yes. Not sure why though.

**Family Relations**

Silverfox:  
**prods cautiously Come on! That review alert said there was another chapter after this. firmly denies ever seeing any such chapter or sending any review alerts Oh well, at least I finally managed to get this one on screen. Guess I'll have to get used to always being a chapter behind from now on.  
Loved to see how Bo can pluck even Voldemort from wherever he happened to be and place him where Bo pleases. ... Are you sure he's really so powerful that he can hear whenever someone says his name? Nope, I don't think he's as powerful as some people believe.  
goes to prod some more**

Always mean to (and then forget) to ask, 'How's the tail these days, Dear?'. You were always so proud of it.

I have absolutely no idea what happened to my first posting of the last chapter. It is out there somewhere. But if you notice, my story chapters listed in the main story drop down menu are also missing a chapter. No idea.

As I have often said, Bo is sort of an enigma. How powerful is he? That's hard to say. He is almost (and I emphasize that word) an unlimited potential of magical power. The limits to hat he can do is almost the user's imagination. But Bo does have certain...parameters.

He won't kill. Never has. Likely never will.

He only obeys one person. His host. By the parameters of the original spell, he has no choice in the matter. He can argue his point of refusal, but in the end, he has to do what his host orders.

He interacts with Orion of his own free will. He has the right to refuse any request Orion makes of him. Even when they are 'joined', Bo can refuse to allow Orion to tap off of his power.

What makes him such a powerful force is that Bo does not need something to start with to create something. This is a point that is explained further in Meeting The Parents (not yet posted). But when you think about it, most wizards and witches need something to start with. They transform things. Bo doesn't need anything to start with. But there he has a limit. The one thing Bo absolutely can not create is life.

So, yes, Bo is that powerful. And he just loves to please Orion. So he generally does whatever Orion asks as well and as fast as he can. Sort of showing off, really.

Some people have ask if Voldemort is aware of the Black family's 'pet'. Yes, he is. But, just like everyone else, he isn't fully aware of just how powerful Bo is, or even what he is. He suspects the boggart is more than just a wizarding family's quirky pet, but he has no clear evidence of that. But he'll be working on that throughout this story.

The question, Dear, isn't can Bo hear every time someone says his name. It's does he pay attention every time someone says his name. The answer is 'no'. He only has to respond to a summons from his host. Everyone else only if he feels like it.

MasterLupin:

**Time will tell if Voldermort has made a mistake with Sirius.**

Very much so, Dear. But at least Sirius is more 'in the game' now. How that will pay off and for whom remains to be seen.

CelticheiressFiona:

**Another great chapter. Hey, we might only be following most of the time, but we get sometimes. Who might we get now? Beatrice, I believe. Oh, well, what are you gonna do? Keep up the awesome work! **

Thank you, Dear.

I'm not sure if you mean my story or Rowling's original plot. But I have no plans to have Beatrice show up in my story. Didn't care much for her in the original to tell the truth. Definitely was a few ants shy of a whole picnic.

Delilah Evans:

**Who the hell is Orion Black? Sirius' dad? Brother? Who!**

I am sorry for missing you, Dear. I don't often check the review board on the original posting for this story. There's so rarely anything to check. So again, I apologize.

You have likely answered your own question by now. But if you haven't, Orion is Sirius' OC older brother in the world according to PAR.

As far as the original version goes, I feel Rowling didn't even try to get on the boat when it sailed as far as Sirius' family went. She had a great deal of potential there. What she gave us was just about the last thing I expected. How can you have one family member with so much ability and intelligence, and have the rest be basically a pack of idiots?

All reviews are as of 09162006.

And remember;

I would like to wish my very best friend in the world and my sister in my heart, Cindy, a happy, glorious, wish-filled Birthday today. I love you, girl, and you know how much I miss you. Be safe, be happy, be healthy, and know you are loved.


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: Well, welcome back to me. And I'll give you the short answer to the 'How was the trip?' question. It was lovely. Thank you.

Now, back to the story.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY: HARRY AND KATLIN**

As soon as dinner was done, Harry quickly hurried off to his room. Once there he quickly pulled open the top drawer of his dresser and began frantically searching for the small object he had hidden there. A small black stone no larger than a bottle cap.

Finally finding it, he held it tightly in his right hand as he closed his eyes.

"Katlin." He said, bracing himself for whatever might happen once he said the name. He wasn't exactly sure.

He had gotten the stone from the Deatheater the first time he had met with her in the alleyway after her escape from the train that was taking her to Azkaban. But she's been somewhat vague on it's use. Katlin had only said the stone would put him in contact with her if he needed her, but not how. He expected anything from the stone being a portkey to a small fire popping up in front of him. But the portkey was at the top of his list.

For several moments Harry stood waiting with his eyes shut, waiting for the familiar if not unsettling feeling of the portkey taking effect. But when nothing seemed to happen, he slowly opened his eyes.

Still standing in the center of his room where he started, the only change in his surrounding was that a tall woman with long auburn hair now stood before him.

"Well, now," Katlin commented with a small smile, "I was curious to see how long it was going to take you to open your eyes again. What were you doing, Harry?"

Suddenly feeling very foolish, Harry took to studying the floor. "Well, you never said 'what' the stone did." He explained in a soft voice. "I thought it might be a portkey. And I was waiting for it to work."

Katlin's smile grew a bit wider. "I see. Well, it is sort of a portkey, Harry. Just one that operates in reverse. Instead of bringing you to me, it allows me to come to you no matter where you are."

"Oh." Was all Harry could think to say. For some reason Katlin had the ability to un-nerve him like no one else.

"So I'm here." Katlin prompted when Harry didn't say anything else. "I'm assuming there was a reason, yes?"

Harry's purpose suddenly came back to him. He paused for a few minutes as he considered how to phrase his question.

"Well, it's just that..." Harry paused, then tried again. "People say that you know a lot about...things. About...you know...how two people are together...how they act to...well..., each other, and just sort of..., well..., love and stuff." At that point his explanation failed him. But Katlin willing took over.

"People?" She asked. "What people told you this?"

"Well..., just people." Harry answered.

Katlin looked skeptical. "People are just running up on the street telling you this, Harry? You have questions about love, go ask the Deatheater Katlin Griss?"

"Well, not everybody." Harry admitted.

Katlin absently chewed on the nail of her small finger for a moment as she studied the teenager fidgeting before her. She had a pretty good idea where Harry had gotten this particular piece of information. "Uh-huh." she said finally. "Harry, let's try narrowing that down a bit, shall we?" Katlin offered. "Would it be safe to say these 'people' might be named 'Sirius'?"

Harry looked up suddenly.

"And might his actual comment have been more along the lines of 'no one knows more about sex than that woman'?"

"Ummmmm...sort of." Harry admitted.

"I can only hope you were eavesdropping on that conversation." Katlin commented. "And remind me some day I need to have a talk with your godfather." The smile quickly returned much to Harry's relief. "Now, aside from letting me know that your godfather is making sure you have such a proper, decent upbringing, what can I do for you?"

"Well," Harry tried to start again, "it's just that...well, I thought maybe you might be someone to ask about...you know...like how you can tell if two people are...interested in each other?"

Katlin sighed as she looked over the nervous teenager before her. "Stars above." She commented. "I'm going to have to get my decoder book out again for this one, aren't I?"

"What do you mean?"

"Harry, is there any way you could cut to the chase for me?"

Harry sighed to himself. "I just want to know how you know for sure of two people...like each other?"

Katlin frowned at the question. "Isn't this a talk you should be having with your godmother or so?" She asked.

A look of shock quickly took over Harry's expression at the suggestion. "I can't asked her!" he exclaimed. "She's the one..." But Harry abruptly stopped.

Katlin tilted her head slightly. "She the one 'what'?" She inquired. But as the teenager's face began to get redder by the second, Katlin's eyes sparkled with understanding. "Harry Potter! Are you nosing about your godparents love life?" A pleased smile crossed her face. "Such an inquisitive child." She purred on. "They must be so proud."

"It's not them." Harry commented dryly.

Katlin considered the statement with a questioning frown. "Godmother's got a brand new bag?"

Harry frowned deeper. "That's sort of the question." He replied.

Katlin sat down on the bed, her face suddenly alight with interest. "Figg is involved with someone else? My, my, but won't I get the gold star for gossip this week back at the lair." She quickly patted the bed next to her. "Come and tell Katlin all about it. And I need details." She emphasized.

"But that's what I'm not sure about, Katlin." Harry replied, flopping down on the bed next to her. "It's just...she spends a lot of time with him. And they always seem to be talking together. I always seem to be walking in on them together. I just...sometimes wonder if...you know."

"Them?" Katlin asked, making a small circle in the air with her finger. "Can you expand on that a little for me, Harry? Like who the 'them' is?"

Harry sighed quietly. He knew if he was going to get any answers, things would eventually come to this. "Arabella...and Voldemort."

For a few seconds Katlin sat staring at the embarrassed teenager as though he had just stated something she didn't quite catch all of. Then, without warning, she suddenly dissolved into giggles.

"I...I'm sorry, Harry." She stammered. "I just...I thought for a moment there you suggested your godmother and Voldemort were in the midst of some sort of torrid romance."

"I did." Harry replied flatly.

Katlin's laughter stopped abruptly. But after a few seconds of silence, started again.

"Harry!" Katlin stated between giggles. "What in Magic's name makes you think Arabella Figg would let Voldemort so much as escort her to dinner?"

"Because she has." Harry answered bluntly. "Or at least, they eat together. That's where they spend most of their time talking."

Katlin paused, seemingly to think over the comment, then turned back to the teenager before her. "That's hardly the makings of the romance of the century, Harry."

"But they're always together." Harry continued on in making his case. "She talks to him. Listens to him. Takes his advice. She goes places with him. That seems to me like two people who are...you know...interested in each other."

"Sounds more to me like two people who found a little common ground."

"Common ground?"

"'Bout time too."

"Common ground for what?"

"Excuse me, but where have you been, Harry? We are sitting on the brink of potential war with an all but completely unknown enemy. Politics, as they say, makes strange bedfellows. I think Voldemort and your godmother are merely...exploring other options as opposed to constantly fighting with each other."

"I don't see why they have to be eating together while they're doing it."

"Common ground, Harry. Or maybe a better term is 'neutral ground'."

"Neutral ground?"

"It's safe, Harry. Everybody does it. Nobody looks twice at it. Nobody reads too much into it...well, nobody but teenagers with over active imaginations, maybe."

"It's not my imagination I keep walking in on." Harry stated defensively.

"Walking in on?"

"When this first started, Arabella wouldn't so much as stay in the same room with him. Now I'm walking in on them all the time.'

Katlin's eyes positively danced at the possibilities. "Doing what?"

Harry frowned. "I told you. They're always talking."

Katlin sighed in disappointment, then got to her feet. "Look, Harry," she stated, heading for the door, "when you walk into the room and their anywhere but in two chairs facing each other with a steak and kidney pie between them, you call me. Until then, I don't think you have much to worry about here."

"But Katlin...!"

Katlin stopped at the door and turned back to him. "Harry, trust me on this one. People eating dinner together are not necessarily just doing so to kill time until the child goes to sleep, all right? Now, since I'm already here, I have some other people to see."

"Other people? Like who?"

Katlin gave him a soft frown. "And that would be your business because...?"

Harry shrugged. "Just curious."

"And maybe I'm just going to have tea with an old friend." She answered as she opened the door.

"You're going to see Professor Dumbledore?"

The door snapped shut again. "Why would you think that?"

Harry paused for a very long time, feeling he had just said something very wrong in Katlin's eyes.

"Well..., because...he told me once...sometimes you have tea with him. He said he enjoys that."

"Really." Katlin answered dryly. "I'll have to have a talk with the old bird then. He's starting to make me sound positively respectable. But on that note, Harry, let me assure you I am not engaged in any sort of affair with your headmaster."

Harry gave a deep frown. "I would hope not."

"All very innocent, you see?" she added with a slight smile. "Try applying that lesson to other situations, Harry, all right?"

Harry paused for a moment as he realized what she meant, then finally nodded as he gave the idea a good going over.

"But I have other people to see, and my time is a bit limited. So if there was nothing else?"

Harry paused, then shook his head with a downward look.

A hand caught him under the chin and turned his face back to her. "Don't worry about it, Harry." She said softly. "It sounds very innocent to me, all right?"

Harry gave her a small nod.

"And you still call if you need me. Even just to talk."

Harry nodded again as the hand released him and Katlin disappeared quickly out the door.

**Q&A**

knightsbridge:

**Okay, I'm confused. I thought at the end of Fever (if I remember correctly)Ron was in awe of Orion, and told Harry that he was an Unspeakable. Now, it seems Harry has no recollection of that little chat. So are the stories a stand alone, or a series?  
Whatever they are, they are riviting, tight and well planned out.**

Fever! Wow! That was a while ago for me.

I'm not really sure what you're asking here, Dear? Ron is very much aware of Orion Black's position, and there is a little bit of hero worship going on there. But what is it Harry does that makes it seem he has no recollection of the conversation?

As for are the stories stand alone or a series, that's a bit tougher to explain. They were written as stand alones. But the stories are related in content. Particularly in the fact that in Fever, Sirius gave custody of Harry to his brother should anything happen to him. He wasn't at that time planning to use the custody clause as a way to thwart Voldemort's plan, but had it included simply as a safety net should he ever be rendered unable to take care of Harry, knowing he would stay within his family's safe-keeping. And if anything happened that was bad enough to take him out of the picture, Sirius knew Harry was likely to need the best protection he could get. Hence, Orion.

I hope that helps some, Dear.

MasterLupin:

**I think Voldermort is going to use some creative inginuity to get to Arabella, thinking that he can still turn her. Arabella will think more and more about Voldermort's plans and come to the conclusion that he will still have to deal with Harry after this northern wizard is delt with. Which will leave her with planing something on her own to stop him after the new wizard is dealt with.**

Ummmmmmmmmm..., your train is in the station, Dear, but all your passengers haven't gotten on board yet.

In other words, you're sort of on the right track, but you're swinging your assumptions pretty far and wide here. Voldemort is definitely trying to get the sympathy vote with Arabella, but why, and what he intends to do with it should he get it, has yet to be seen. He's not entirely just plotting out strategy here.

Also, Arabella is still sizing things up herself. She is trying to reconcile the fact that the man she is dealing with isn't exactly Voldemort and he isn't entirely Sirius either, and unless something changes really fast, she may be stuck with him on a permanent basis. Basically she's taking things day by day and dealing with each new crisis as it develops. Of all the people involved though, I have to say she is dealing with Voldemort probably the best of anyone. She isn't cowering to him, she isn't backing down or attempting to placate him during his temper tantrums, and she absolutely refuses to simply listen to him and take all he says at face value. All characteristics Voldemort finds oddly attractive at the moment.

Silverfox:

**Oh, I had almost forgotten about Katlin's healing skills!   
fluffs up tail proudly Nice and shiny and completely recovered from my long ago dive into the wrong pond, thanks for asking.  
Hm ... all the chapters seem to be available at the moment. I have no idea why or how long it will last, so I grabbed the chance and read as fast as I could.  
Love to hear all that about Bo, of course. (Hey he is my favourite character, so what did you expect?) My question actually refered to Voldemort, though. Yes, I fully believe that Bo can hear every time his name is mentioned, but Voldemort, I suspect, is much more limited there.  
About Bo not killng, though: How about indirectly or unintentioally? You have said that he doesn't really undrstand death and he is also often unaware of the consequences his actions will have. If he can't create life, he probably won't be able to revive somene he'd accidentally given a heart attack or transported into a deadly trap, right?  
To what extent does Voldemort have access to Sirius' knowledge in his current condition? Would he be able to tap into Sirius' memories of Bo, for example?**

Most people seemed to forget that little fact about her, Dear. But yes, Katlin is a natural healer. A skill that has come to her aid more than once. But you don't actually see her using it much because it wasn't a skill Voldemort originally saw any use for. Katlin was trained to be an assassin and an interrogator. Not much call for healing skills in either of those professions.

Very glad the tail is all right now, Dear. I do remember a bit of trouble there with the pond incident.

I think chapter thirty-three has mysteriously disappeared for some reason and the chapters jump from thirty-two to thirty-four.

Well, Bo didn't actually 'call' for Voldemort. He simply...kidnapped him from where he was and brought him to where Orion wanted him to be.

Tricky question, Dear. No, Bo can not create life nor can he revive someone who might be indirectly 'damaged' due to his actions. However, the person Bo has the most contact with is Orion or his father, Talon. Both are directly connected to Bo. This affords them a certain amount of protection. How do you think both got to be so good at what they do, or why they are in the particular field they are? They are, for lack of a better term, practically indestructible due to Bo's protection. Both men are more or less under his constant protection. Does BO ever 'screw up'. Apparently, based on Orion's current condition. But not very often. And I would not want to be the person directly responsible for ever causing the death of either his host or his channeler. It wouldn't be pretty. They wouldn't likely come out of the encounter dead, but they might wish they were.

Dear, would it be all right to ask if just once, maybe, you might throw me a bone in the form of an easy question?

(Sighs) OK. How much can Voldemort access Sirius's memories? Well, currently, not much. And keep in mind, this works both ways. Voldemort knows what is more or less at the forefront of Sirius's thoughts, but not his deeper long term memory. As the personalities merge, the line moves ever deeper into the region of the memory of each man. So the longer they share one body, the more they learn about the other as a matter of course.

Currently Voldemort knows little more than the average person about Bo. He knows the Black family has a 'pet' boggart, but that's about it. He suspects there is more to the boggart than your average one, but he currently has no proof. But he's working on it. Why will become apparent as the story moves forward.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Hahahaha she was. But when I said Beatrice I menat the hurricane. Very sorry. I really should be more specific in my ramblings. As to your story, it is quite amazing. Now as to our dear Ms. Figg, someone will not be very happy when they get their body back. Now as to the first smile, that can all be well and explained and Sirius already obviouly knows as to why she smiled. However, the comment as to "hearts being cut out" can be taken in two contexts. 1) Arabella means she misses Sirius and wants him back know and is very upset and so feels that her heart has been cut out. or 2) somebody's falling for Voldemort. Which I highly doubt. But one never knows. Anyway, update soon! ( OO this was a long one)**

Sorry, Dear. The west coast may have had a Hurricane Beatrice this year, but ours was Beryl.

Sirius's situation with Voldemort is a very precarious if not frustrating one. He would love nothing better than to send the man off into oblivion. But whatever fate he decides for him, he has to be willing to share it, since whatever he does to Voldemort, he does to himself. As for having to sit in the background and watch Voldemort pant after his fiance, that's sort of the frustrating part.

Good try, Dear, but you're just missing the brass ring on that one. I actually wondered if anyone caught that little exchange.

What Arabella was referring to was the time that, in one of the battles in Family Life, instead of taking her, Voldemort took Sirius in her place and nearly killed him in the end, which to Arabella was the equivalent of having her heart cut out. It was also a nasty little jab at Voldemort. All in all, one of Arabella's finer moments.

Never say never, Dear. Whether or not Arabella is falling for Voldemort remains to be seen.

Skahducky:

**Voldemort definitely seemed a whole lot like his old self at the end of the chapter, but he was much more relaxed in the beginning? I don't think you mentioned Voldemort making a conscious effort to block Sirius out or let him in, but is that happening nonetheless? Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

Hmmm..., how to explain this? Voldemort's temperament is very transitory right now. But he still knows how to use it to his advantage, and it depends on who he is dealing with. Arabella isn't likely to respond favorably if he's yelling at her all the time. Equally, the Deatheaters aren't likely to respond well to a leader who coddles them. So he's simply using things to his advantage.

I thought I did mention this? Voldemort very much is consciously blocking Sirius. Or more, he's making a conscious effort to control him. Voldemort, being the originator of the spell, has more control over the body than Sirius. But not by much, since Sirius is the body's original personality and it just naturally responds to him more than to Voldemort. But Voldemort currently has conscious control of the body, meaning simply that he can either be the dominating personality, or relinquish that role to Sirius at will. Than just as easily take over again.

All reviews are as of 10082006.

And remember;

Jetlag? What jetlZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Just a brief explanation, folks, if you care, as to where I've been the past several weeks. You see, my computer suffered a slight break down, it's power supply causing the poor thing to shut down every time I turned it on. Well, you also have to understand my computer is about 10-15 years old. Built out of spare parts and wherever else I've added over the years, she is quite unique, I assure you. However, due to her age, when something breaks down, getting parts is not always easy and can take some time

But I love her. She is my baby and I would never consider replacing her. .

I was, however, informed by the people who fixed her up this time, that they appreciated the opportunity. Said working on her took them back to the good old days.

I hit them.

Also, if you have the chance to go see the movie 'The Prestige', do so.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: REPORT**

"Will you stay in that bed!" The statement was everything but a request.

"No! I've been in this stupid bed long enough. I am sick of white walls. Not one bloody portrait in this place has led what can even be remotely discerned as an interesting life, and if I don't get back on my feet soon, my legs are going to forget what they're there for!"

"You're being ridiculous. Get back in that bed!"

"No!"

Katlin firmly crossed her arms over her chest as she stood blocking her husband's escape route. "You are acting like a spoiled child who isn't getting his own way." She declared in exasperation.

"That's because I am and I'm not!" Orion shot back.

"You would willingly admit to that?"

"My parents do. You want I should call my own parents liars?"

"And what is so important you have to leave? Late for an appointment?" She ask with a long sarcastic draw.

"As a matter of fact, I am."

Katlin gave him a skeptical look. "With who?"

"Orin."

Katlin's expression remained. "And what do you have an appointment with Orin Bale about that's more important than your health?"

Orion gave her a small, sly smile. "That's 'business'."

"Well, if that's your excuse, it's a bad one. Orin's coming by to see you today anyway, so you can get right back in that bed, mister."

Orion's expression verged on surprise. "Orin's coming here today? When did he tell you this?"

Katlin sighed loudly at the question. Obstinance was not something she favored in people. And currently her husband was having a barn sale on it. "When he woke up this morning! When do you think?"

Orion frowned at the explanation.

"He's been very worried about you." Katlin amended with a tired but affectionate smile. "You're more than his best agent, Orion. You're his friend. He's called nearly every day asking how you are."

Orion's caution raised to new levels at the news. "And you've been telling him what?"

"That if you were a better patient, listen to your doctor, followed orders, and took all your medicine, you'd be a lot further along."

Orion cast a despairing glare at the line of bottles next to his bed. "The green one tastes funny. I think they put mint in it."

"It's probably just to cover the taste of the poison." Katlin offered helpfully.

Orion was just about to offer up his opinion on the comment when a fire roared to life in the corner of his room. A few seconds later Orin Bale stepped out of the flames, which immediately dissipated behind him.

Katlin gave him a small smile, looking him over once. "Oh good!" she declared. "You found your pants in the hallway."

Bale considered the woman standing before him for a moment, then turned a questioning stare to his agent.

Orion waved the question off. "Ignore her. My wife's attempt at humor."

Bale shrugged the situation off as he directed his mind to more immediate matters. "Why are you out of bed?"

Orion considered his position, which was currently with one leg hanging over the side of a rail while his wife dutifully remained blocking his way.

"You consider this 'out of bed'?" He questioned. "There's more of me in than out!"

Before Bale could respond, the door to the room opened and a man of about fifty stepped in holding a half rolled up sheet of parchment in his hands which he was giving his undivided attention to at the moment. "Mr. Black," the new comer stated empirically, "how are we fee..." The man stopped in mid-word as he glanced up from the parchment, a deep frown etching itself quickly across his face. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Orion scowled at the man, but nonetheless yanked his errant leg back into the bed.

Satisfied, the man turned back to his parchment. "Now that all our body parts are where they are suppose to be," he went on, "perhaps you can further explain why there are two more people in this room than there should be?"

Orion gave the man a less than sincere smile. "Feel free to take the pretty redhead to lunch. I know for a fact she hasn't eaten since last night."

The man glanced up, giving a passing notice to the two other occupants in the room besides himself and his patient before turning back to his parchment once again. "Visiting hours do not start for another thirty minutes. I have several tests to run on Mr. Black until then, and I am not selling tickets. Please vacate the room."

Orin cast his agent a questioning glance that Orion picked up on immediately.

"Orin," he answered with a sigh, "this is my doctor, Mr. Hyde."

The man glanced up over the rim of his glasses. "Once again, Mr. Black, you have managed to reaffirm for me all the reasons I became a doctor."

"To help humanity?"

"To torture people like you." The doctor turned a brief glance to Orin. "Dr. Meddleson. Mr. Black's unfortunate physician. If you wouldn't mind waiting outside, I shouldn't be long."

Stepping over to the door, Orin held it open as Katlin, with a brief worried glance at her husband, stepped past him. With a brief nod to the man in the bed, he followed her.

Out in the hallway, Katlin had already staked off her territory, prowling a small stretch of corridor with her attention firmly fixed on the floor.

Watching her for all of sixty seconds, Orin finally cut in front of her path and took her by the arm, turning her about and heading off in the opposite direction.

Katlin tried digging in her heels to no avail as she glanced anxiously back at the door. "What are you doing?!" She demanded.

"What that idiot doctor was to stupid to take your husband up on. I'm taking the pretty redhead to lunch."

Katlin pulled back again. "I don't want lunch."

Orin pulled to an abrupt stop, turning her to him. "When did you last eat?"

Katlin said nothing.

"So, I take it Orion was telling the truth? Nothing since dinner yesterday?" Taking her arm again, Orin headed off with her down the corridor. "You need to eat something, Katlin. And you know as well as I do that it'll do Orion more good than any medicine in the world if you go back in that room and tell him what you had for lunch. So, let's go."

Sighing to herself, Katlin gave up any resistance. One thing she had learned about Orin Bale was that he was just as stubborn as her husband. It was a true wonder to her how two men, both willing to fight to the death for their individual points of view, could be such long time friends. But there was no one she would trust more with her husband's life than the man walking beside her.

The day Bale had found out about her actual relationship to his top agent, Katlin felt it was the end of her happy little slice of the world. The way she saw things, Bale would try to manipulate the situation to his departments advantage, she would refuse, and Orion would be caught between them.

But the man had surprised her. Bale had made not one single demand. Not so much as even a suggestion of how her position could help his department. He had, in fact, said little at all. The only term she could give his reaction was 'silent acceptance'. The deed was done, he had once told her. There was little more to be said about it.

And that had been that.

Sitting opposite her in the dining hall, Orin waited until she settled into her food before breaking the silence.

"So, has there been any change?" He ask as she took a bite of her food.

Katlin seemed to route her sullen mood as she turned to him with what he could only discribe as the most forced smile he had ever seen. "You mean since yesterday when you called?" She replied, the smile never leaving her lips. "Honestly, Orin, you know as much as anyone about his condition."

"And this would be that wonderful doctor you've been going on about?"

"Dr. Meddleson came very highly recommended. He's the top of his field with poisonings."

"The patient would seem to disagree."

Katlin frowned. "That is because the patient is an obnoxious three year old who won't do what the doctor tells him to."

"I see. And his prognosis then?"

Katlin's demeanor seemed to brighten even more, if that was possible. Anyone else would likely have seen nothing more than a woman happy about her husband's apparent recovery prospects.

But Orin Bale wasn't just 'anyone'. He knew a performance when he saw one, and he was about to be treated to a class A award winning one right now. He'd bet his life on it. Whatever she was up to, it was at least going to be entertaining to watch.

"It's actually much better than we originally thought." She replied past that well placed smile. "Dr. Meddleson has managed to negate most of the after-effects of the poison. The seizures will likely be permanent, but not as bad as we first thought. He may have one once in a while, but he'll have plenty of warning and they'll be easier to control than we were first told. In fact," she pressed on, "they should only last a few minutes at best, and Dr. Meddleson feels they shouldn't effect his daily living hardly at all."

Orin spared her a glance before turning back to his stew. "I see." The enigmatic Mrs. Black was up to something. He would just have to sit back and wait to find out what.

"He's getting better, Orin." Katlin added after a few minutes of silence.

"Ummm-hmmmmm." was the only answer he gave her. And with it he could feel the anxiety level in her rise several degrees.

When Orin had first found out about what he forever termed his agents 'rash and impetuous if not just plain down right stupid' act, he debated with himself for nearly a fortnight of how to deal with the situation. His top agent...married to a Deatheater. And an Elite no less. Well, at least Black had aimed high.

Bale considered everything from a love spell to an Imperious curse as the cause for Orion's rash act. But in the end he had to concede the man was truly, blissfully, blindingly in love with the woman.

And so began a very uneasy relationship. Thankfully, Bale rarely had to deal with his agent's blushing new bride, though he seriously doubted Katlin Griss had had one honest blush in her whole life. But occasional calls to the house were now answered by her instead of Tets, and their paths did tend to meet more than they normally would have if things had remained sane in the world and Orion was still single. Under such circumstances, Bale was cordial. Katlin equally so. If anyone had taken note of their exchanges in public they would have considered the two passing acquaintances.

But in private things were quite another story. Bale was often a guest at the Black household. If Orion ever left the room, Bale immediately steeled himself for what he knew was coming. Katlin would rail on him at the first opportunity. Everything from Orion's last mission to future ones was fair game as far as she was concerned. Every assignment he gave the man she had an opinion on after-the-fact. They were entirely too dangerous, too long, or too poorly planned. Orion was a married man, she was fond of pointing out. He was a husband, and recently, a father. He had obligations and responsibilities now. He could not go off on every hair-brained mission that struck someone's fancy.

Bale usually listened to it all with as stoic an expression as he could muster, all the while fervently praying Orion would return to the room before the woman really got a head of steam going and went for her wand. All in all he likened her to a tigress protecting her injured mate. Although until recently he failed to notice exactly what injury Black needed protecting due to.

But currently the injury was all too well known, and he was interested to see what new tirade he was in for.

But if he was truthful with himself, he had actually grown to like the woman. She was a handful to be sure. And she was an Elite Deatheater. But she was also protective, loyal, and forthright with her beliefs, making no apologies for how she lived her life. All in all, he doubted he could have picked a better wife for Black. He had actually found himself over the past several years adopting an idea Orion himself stated he used to maintain peace in his relationship to his wife. There were two sides to the relationship. Business and personal. And you simply never let the two mix.

And on that foundation, Katlin and Orin had settled into a cautious friendship. Neither let their guard down completely, but Orion was the first to point out the most entertaining evenings he had were when the two spared off against each other over anything from tactical elements to the current state of the country. He firmly swore it would be a pre-apocalyptic sign when the two ever agreed on anything.

And of course, he was always assured of a long evening whenever a conversation contained the phrase, 'But of course, that's not the way the Deatheaters would have done it'.

Orion often said one had to hand it to Orin Bale when dealing with people. You could insult the man, question his paternity, or out-rightly insult him and never get a rise out of him. But one could absolutely never, ever call into question his departmental strategies. Half the time Orion felt Katlin did it just to bait him. But once the statement was made, Orion simply poured himself a large drink and settled back into his favorite chair to watch the show.

Katlin studied the man for several minutes. "What are you going to do?" She ask finally.

Orin looked up again. "Do? About what?"

"About Orion?"

Orin placed his spoon down before resting his chin on folded hands. "I am going to hope my agent recovers from a very near fatal attack. What else should I be doing, Katlin?"

Sighing in exasperation, Katlin all but glared at the man across from her. Sometimes she wasn't sure of the man was just playing her for a reaction or was seriously dense.

"Even though Dr. Meddleson feels the resulting impact of the attack on Orion's health will be minimal, I know how the Ministry works. Orion's been injured. He isn't fully the man he was before the attack. He has limita... "

Orin quickly held up a finger, effectively cutting her off. "Ah! Now I see. I was beginning to wonder what spurred that little recital you gave of the positive aspects of Orion's current health standing. Normally you've been so reticent about it, I felt honored if you spared me ten words on his condition. Now all of the sudden your playing it down to practically nothing at all."

"It isn't as bad as we were told!" Katlin protested quickly.

Orin fixed a firm stare on her. "It's bad enough, Katlin. Orion needs to watch out for himself. And he likely won't be able to do things the way he was used to before."

"He can still do his job." Katlin stated, something very close to hysteria creeping into her tone. "You can't retire him because of this Orin. You can't. It would absolutely kill him. You know that."

"Retire him?" Bale looked duly shocked. "Where in magic's name did you get the idea I was going to retire him? Black's one of the best agents I have. Nothing has changed there to my knowledge."

Katlin sighed as she stared down at her plate, absently pushing a bit of food around. "Orion's been very worried about it lately, Orin." She said finally in a quiet, subdued tone. "It's almost all he talks about. Who you'll be replacing him with? What will happen to Charly? What he'll be doing when all of this is over?"

"Then you can tell him I'm not replacing him with anything, nothing is going to happen to Misser, and when this is over his locker will still be smelling just as bad as when he left it." Orin picked up the last bite of his lunch. "In fact, I'll tell him myself when we get back. Man's a bloody fool to think he's free of the department this easy."

Katlin favored him with a small smile. "Thank you, Orin. That'll mean a lot to him."

Bale returned the smile. "I just like to keep my enemies guessing."

"I hope I'm not included in that list?" It was a common question between them.

Bale gave her a careful study before answering. "When Black first mentioned you to me all those years ago, I described you back to him as the Deatheater I would most like to spend the night with. That hasn't changed if you're ever interested." he added, giving her a quick wink.

Katlin gave him a more relaxed smile. "You'll be sure to mention that again to my husband when you talk to him, won't you, Mr. Bale?"

Bale again returned her smile. "Count on it."

**(Scene Change.)**

"Wonderful." a voice cut into Orion's nap. "I can barely get work out of you half the time as it is, now your off to bed for practically a fortnight."

Orion opened his eyes to find Orin standing beside his bed. "Bugger off, Orin." he stated in a rasped voice. "Mum already said I didn't have to go to school today."

Orin took a seat in the chair by the bed. "Be that as it may," he replied, "you still have an assignment due. Care to hand it over?"

Orion sighed as he rolled over onto his side. "Katlin catches you in here interrogating me, she's going to give you a good what for, you know that."

"I've just come from a very pleasant lunch with your charming wife. She ask that I request how you would feel about me spending the night with her."

Orion gave slight sneer at the question. "My wife doesn't like sleeping with dogs."

"Pity." Orin replied. "But that doesn't explain how she's put up with you all these years."

"What do you want, Orin?" Orion ask. "I was having a lovely dream about all the things I'd like to be doing with my wife right now. Things, mind you, that you will forever only dream about."

"I told you." Orin repeated. "You have a report due. I'd like to hear it."

Orion sighed again as he readjusted himself. "Ask away."

"What's the current situation?"

"Stable. But my guess is he's going to make his move very soon."

"How so?"

"He's been making all the anticipated moves. He's worried about his position. So he's been trying to establish himself within the group as an ally. As someone to be trusted."

"And?"

"Figg is no fool. Nor is the boy. Arabella considers him something of an irritation at this point. Harry is still cautious. He isn't sure what to make of things right now, so he's looking to others around him for guidance on how to act. But for now Arabella controls Harry. He'll do whatever she tells him to."

"And in your opinion that would be?"

"Arabella hasn't tried to out-rightly dissuade Harry from helping Voldemort, but nor is she encouraging it. She sees him as a threat, but she sees this other wizard as a bigger one. But she's choosing to err on the side of caution in all her decisions these days. Currently I would say she could go either way."

"What is the situation between Arabella and Voldemort? How is she responding to him?"

"It's not so much her responding as he is."

"Meaning?"

"Voldemort is growing very...fond...of Arabella it would seem." Orion replied with a small, pleased smile. "The harder she pushes him away, the harder he tries to accommodate her. Much more and I would say there was little Voldemort wouldn't do to try and please her."

"Is Arabella aware of the potential of the situation?"

"Arabella Figg wouldn't be aware of a cloudy day if it was raining." A voice offered from behind.

Both men turned to met Katlin's hard stare.

"You should be more careful, Love." Orin replied. "Statements like that could give people the impression you don't care for the woman."

Katlin approached them with her arms folded tightly across her chest. "And only the ones that have been under a rock for the past few decades would find that news." She answered, turning her attention solely to the man in the chair. "I thought you were going to have a nice chat with my husband, Orin, not interrogate him."

Orion gave the man sitting next to his bed a superior smile. "Told ya'!" he quibbed.

Katlin approached the bed like a fighter entering a ring. "What are you up to, Orin?"

Bale sat up in the chair and set a firm stare on the woman across the bed. "I'm not accustomed to discussing my plans with Deatheaters, Ms. Griss."

Katlin seated herself on the edge of the bed. "Well, you'd best start discussing them with this one. Because that last statement held so little truth it was laughable."

Orion turned over his shoulder to look at her. "You actually like Arabella?"

Katlin lightly slapped his shoulder. "Hush."

"If you see something I don't, Katlin..." Orin began.

"I see many things you don't." Katlin effectively cut him off. "What I don't see is this outrageous crush your agent seems to feel Voldemort has for Arabella Figg."

Orion turned over his shoulder again. "I never used the word 'crush'."

Katlin and Orin both ignored him.

"Then how exactly would you describe the relationship?" Orin ask.

"I don't." she replied resolutely. "I prefer instead to concentrate on what matters in a situation. Not gossip like a bunch of teenage girls in a school yard over who likes who."

"You would have to agree though," Orin stated, "that Voldemort has hardly been acting characteristically."

"Voldemort hasn't been acting characteristically since the killing curse." She replied without an ounce of inflection. She had long ago stopped deluding herself that the man had come out of the ordeal unscathed. He had, in fact, in her opinion, undergone a radical personality change. Whatever humanity had been left was completely burned out of him. What was left was a man who seemed to have no conscience, no remorse, and no caring for anything save his own ambitions. In short, the man she had known, who had raised her, taught her, and loved her, was gone. Left in his place was a man who only saw her now as a tool to further his own goals.

It was that realization that had brought Katlin to the point she was today. Almost overnight she had had to decide her future and reinvent herself in order to accomplish her own goals. She no longer followed Voldemort with the same blind loyalty she used to. More to the truth, she had made herself his self-appointed keeper. She had told Orion she could do more good watching him than breaking from him completely. And over the years she had managed to divert some of his more dangerous schemes. Ones in which a great many people would have likely died. But more and more she saw even that fragile hold she had over him weaken until she had had to admit she needed help.

And that was the day she had gone to Orin Bale. Had gone to his office with her husband and told the man what he was really up against in intimate detail.

She wasn't a traitor, she had told herself over and over again. She wasn't betraying anyone. She wasn't showing disloyalty to her beliefs or the man who installed them in her. She was doing what was in his best interest. Because continuing on his radical path unchecked, he would one day be killed.

To sooth her conscience, Katlin never agreed to hand Voldemort over to the Unspeakables. She maintained his freedom would remain his. But effectively she put him in a gilded cage. Any plans he made she relayed to Orion, who in turn passed the information on to Bale. And over the years, with her help, the Unspeakables had stayed on top in the war between themselves and the Deatheaters.

But Voldemort had not been a fool. He had come to believe the Unspeakables had a spy in his midst and he became not only a man without a conscience, but a paranoid one to boot. Katlin had had to step back considerably to maintain what little trust he had left in her. In anyone, at that point. But she still managed to curtail enough of the more serious attacks to keep things from exploding into a full out war.

"I think you'll find Voldemort's attentions to Ms. Figg to be little more than a ploy to derive sympathy out of her." Katlin added as emotionlessly as she had made her last statement. "Once he has her's he'll move on to someone else. He is solidifying his forces. He knows better than anyone what we are all up against with this wizard."

"What do you know about this wizard?" Bale asked her.

"Not nearly as much as Voldemort. The Deatheaters were only his spies sent to gather information on the man. What little we could gather from the ones that returned Voldemort has been studying for months. If he tells you the man is dangerous, you can believe it. Quite frankly, if I were you, I would give him what he wants and let him deal with the man. He's the best prepared to do so."

Orion turned back to face her. "Well, unfortunately, Love, what he wants is Harry. And I, for one, am not inclined to hand the boy over to his greatest enemy for a romp across the countryside."

"Nor am I." Bale agreed. "Which is why I've come up with the following solution to that problem."

Katlin and Orion both turned back to the man.

"From everything we can tell, Voldemort and Harry should be leaving on this journey in a few days." Bale turned his attention to focus on his agent. "When they leave, Black, I want you with them."

**Q&A**

**FAMILY RELATIONS**

MasterLupin:

**Well I would say that the conversiation that Harry had will placate him for a week at most, then he will become paranoid again about bella and voldemort. So far besides occasional mention and Harry's training, we haven't seen this wizard in the north. When will voldermort make his move? The longer he waits to attack the more vulnerable he becomes to attack.  
Also on a psycological standpoint, Harry is reaching a percarius age, where a male rollmodle is usualy required for social/mental devlopment. Harry dosn't seem to have one at this point; his father/male figure Sirius unable to play that roll for Harry. Will Arabella notice this and seek out someone, like Remus or some other male figure to play this roll in Harry's life while Sirius can't? A thought also occures to me while I type this, Harry is reaching an age where he will have to learn to shave, could be an amusing sceen in a later chapter.**

I would love to move the story along to the bits with the wizard in the north, Dear. Truly I would. But first some ground rules have to be established. Mostly, those governing the relationships involved in this story. Because without that, you guys would be seriously lost. After all, the driving force of this story is the relationships between the characters. So be patient. Voldemort is very close to making his move, as it were.

And the longer he waits to attack the more vulnerable he becomes? Not at all. There is no so great a fool as one who enters a battle unprepared. And Voldemort is by no means ready to face the wizard in the north.

No male role model? I think Orion would take serious exception to that. Granted, he isn't exactly always in the picture, but he is, after all, the father of five children. I think when he puts his mind to it, and some time, he's a fine role model. Also, Remus isn't exactly hiding in the corner. And lets not forget the first runner up n the 'best character slated for redemption in a fanfic' category, Voldemort. I think Harry has quite a few role models to look to for guidance. Granted, Voldemort is probably right there at the bottom of that list, but things have been known to change.

Now, let me just make a quick point here as well to the general populace.

Folks, do you honestly believe Voldemort is going through all of this with a happy, innocent smile on his face thinking 'Oh, I wonder what's going to happen next?'?

If so, you are seriously gullible.

The man has planned this from the start. All of it. Remember way back in Family Life? All planned, folks. And all by our favorite dark wizard. With the exception of a few random variables, he is still following a very meticulously laid out plan of action. How far it will carry him has yet to be seen, but he so far still very much in control of what he is doing.

Another scene, Dear? How long exactly do you want this story to be? It is already rivaling Family Life and Enemies for length.

Skahducky:

**Well, Harry's fears are assuaged, I guess. I think this chapter was a nice reprieve from some of the action, and it focused more on Harry, which is good. Please update soon!**

Yes, things have slowed down a little. But that's just a brief reprieve at best. Things are going to heat up very soon, very fast.

Silverfox:

**I wonder what the birds-and-bees-talk looked like for Orion's children. ;)  
(Katlin next time she runs into Arabella: "Oh, by the way, dear. If you have a moment, you might want to sit Harry down and explain the difference between conversation and intercourse.")  
Sorry for being difficult, but I was getting worried about Bo's secret. Incitentally, if Voldemort doesn't know about Bo's special powers, yet, what does he think is responsible for his sudden appearance before Orion? I can't imaging he'd take unexpectantly being plucked away from wherever he was and appearing in a different place too well. I know I wouldn't and I'm a generally meek and friendly person.**

I really loved your suggestion of Katlin's comment to Arabella. It was just so darned cute.

However, you do realize, of course, that intercourse can also be used as a word meaning conversation, as in 'social intercourse'.

But aside from that, as this chapter showed, Arabella and Katlin rarely sit down to afternoon tea.

As for the 'birds and the bees' talk to the kids, I believe with Orion it would start with 'Go ask your mother'.

You're never difficult, Dear.

Bo's secret? Bo has a secret? Well, isn't he just the clever boggart!

Good question! Wish I had a good answer.

Actually, I do. I never said Voldemort doesn't know about Bo's special powers. In fact, I don't I ever mentioned anything of the sort. All I have ever eluded to was that Voldemort knows that Bo is not your average boggart. First of all, he's more of a household pet to the Black family than a boggart. Secondly, he can do rather advanced magic for a boggart. Third, he obviously thinks and acts on his own volition on a slightly higher level than your average boggart. and lastly, he isn't solely bent on trying to frighten people. So, not your average boggart.

What does Voldemort think of being plucked from where he was and suddenly summoned before Orion and who does he think is responsible? You had to read a little between the lines on that scene, Dear. And it is important to the rest of the story and what happens later. Again, Voldemort knows Bo is not your average, run-of-the-mill boggart. Just what he is, Voldemort isn't completely sure, but he is compiling a list. The incident aforementioned is simply another piece he has added to that puzzle. Eventually he feels he'll gather enough pieces to make a completed picture. If you read that scene again, you'll note that at first Voldemort is rather surprised to find himself in a different place without warning, and he takes a quick survey of his surroundings, then masks any further reaction behind that oh-so-carefully constructed mask of indifferent annoyance he's so fond of. What he has actually done is taken another piece to his puzzle and fitted it into place.

Also, if you'll notice, Voldemort is quite fond of 'the puzzle' analogy, and uses it often to describe most problems he encounters. Things are, to him, little more than puzzles to be solved. And solving them is merely a process of finding all the right pieces and fitting them together in the right pattern.

All reviews are as of 11/12/2006.

And remember;

You're free today because someone else sacrificed their life for that freedom. Remember your veterans and honor them, as they deserve.


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: So, did you go see 'The Prestige'? Wasn't that the best frickin' movie?

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH...**

Orin didn't make it five feet out of the room before he was besieged by a very irate red-head.

"That was your idea of helping him?!" Katlin snapped at the man, grabbing his arm and pulling him about to face her. "By sending him off on a mission as a glorified babysitter?"

"He's going as a good deal more than that, Katlin." Bale replied calmly.

"Like what?"

Bale returned a silent stare, which did not go over well with the redhead.

"Don't you pull that silent crap with me, Orin Bale." Katlin fumed at him, a threatening finger pointed directly in the man's face. "You think I won't find out? I'll walk right into your Ministry department and start interrogating everyone and anyone I can get my hands on until I find out what I want to know."

The man before her still said nothing.

Katlin got right up to the Unspeakable's face. "Don't you get this yet?" she stated in a quiet but deadly tone. "He is my husband. He is my whole life. If anything happens to him I would die right along with him. The only thought left in me would be to find whoever was responsible for taking him from me and make sure they paid. And I do not care if it were you, Treaks, or Voldemort himself. I would make sure they never saw another day in this life. Now," she said, taking a step back and composing herself into someone whose sole expression spoke of nothing more than a polite interest to the outside world, "what is so important to the Ministry that you feel the only person who can handle it is my husband?"

Bale stared back at her, his facial features a perfect mirror of her's. "I don't recall having any contract with you, Ms. Griss, that opened all Ministry business to your scrutiny. Least of all how I assign missions."

Katlin gave the corridor a cursory look up and down, then in the blink of an eye suddenly had the Unspeakable pinned to the wall behind him, her hand wrapped around his neck.

"Then draw one up and we'll sign it." She hissed at him. "Because my husband isn't going off on some half-cocked mission, thought up by you, just to give him something to do. Orion would see through something like that in less than a second. And it would leave him feeling less than useless. He feel like you were pity-dating him."

In answer Bale never said a word. In more than half of the encounters they had Katlin wasn't sure if Bale was serious or just baiting her for a reaction. But this one was too important to her to let go without an answer.

"Well?"

"You honestly expect me to talk to you when you have me pinned to a wall?" Bale ask calmly.

Katlin paused, then released her grip. "Fine. You're released, so talk."

Bale absently rubbed his throat. No doubt about it, the woman had a grip like steel and could likely have snapped his neck front to back if she had wanted to.

"Voldemort isn't the only one interested in this wizard, Katlin." Bale explained. "Nor is he the only one who has encountered problems in getting information on him. Now, suddenly, I find out, this wizard is operating under a spell and Harry Potter is his secretkeeper. Something not only has Voldemort found out, but has already exploited to his own benefit. That puts him two steps in front of my agents. Something I don't like. Voldemort running the show is bad enough. But having him hold all the cards is something we can't afford."

"So how does Orion fit into all this?"

"Several ways. Injured, Voldemort will be off guard with him. Concentrating on other things. That will give Orion a freer hand in dealing with the situation. Orion is also one of the best trained agents I have. And lastly, I need a pair of eyes and ears on this journey Voldemort is planning to take Harry on. I don't trust the man. I think anyone who does is delusional. He knows a lot more than he is telling us. And I believe whatever he is keeping to himself is crucial to the outcome of all this. I want someone there that I can trust implicitly to counter any plans Voldemort has set up on how he intends to deal with this wizard."

Katlin crossed her arms in front of her. "And the only person qualified for this is my husband?"

Bale frowned at her. "Weren't you the same woman pleading with me a short time ago to let her husband know that his Unspeakable days weren't behind him yet?"

"And what if he gets into something he can't get himself out of...because he's still injured?"

Bale gave her a placating smile. "Well then, my dear, I suppose it'll be up to you to get him out of that mess."

(Scene Change)

Arabella stood in the kitchen patiently working on the stew she was preparing for dinner. She had always held that that was one of the main ingredients of any good stew. Patience. Stews took time. Lots of it. And if you didn't give it to them, then you ended up with something less then you wanted.

Stews also gave her time to think. And right then Arabella thought that that was what she needed the most. Time alone to think.

She was happy to be back at the Black Estate. And it seemed to suit Orion's recovery better to be back in familiar surroundings. But the move had had a dual purpose. With the start of the school term looming ever closer, Dumbledore had made the suggestion that it might be better if she, Orion, Harry, and Voldemort move back to the house. Arabella made no complaint about the change of location, seeing the older wizard's motives for it. A castle full of students and one dark wizard was a recipe for nothing but disaster, she was sure. Although she would have preferred if Dumbledore had sent Voldemort packing back to his own lair until he decided it was time for he and Harry to go after the wizard in the north, she also understood the need to have him stay at the estate. The man needed watching. Still unsure if he was to be fully trusted, Arabella agreed that it was better if he was somewhere they could keep an eye on him rather than allowing him to sit in his own lair alone and think up any more ways to manipulate them all to his will.

But if she thought the extra space afforded by the large house would grant her any solitude, she couldn't have been more mistaken. If she tried to sit in the main room, lulling her mind in front of the fire, then inevitably someone would come in, usually wanting something. Either Harry, or Orion, or, heaven forbid the worst of them, Voldemort.

Arabella started chopping carrots as her mind settled on the top of the list of her problems. The man had gone in a few short weeks from being a feared dark wizard to being, in her book, something of a pest. He almost never seemed to leave her alone anymore. Half a dozen times a day he would seek her out for one of a list of a thousand frivolous reasons she was sure he was working from, since no one could come up with some of the mundane purposes he had just off the top of their head, she had decided. And it really wouldn't be so bad if the requests actually had some purpose. Most of them were things that even he should have been able to figured out. The man simply seemed bound and determined to drive her nuts.

"Arabella?"

Arabella slammed the chopping blade down with a snap onto the cutting board with the next slice as her nerves reacted to the sound of the voice.

Voldemort came into the kitchen looking his usual irritated self.

"What is it now?" She asked, trying her best to keep the irritation out of her own voice.

"I need to talk to your godson. Have you seen him?"

"First off," Arabella stated without turning to him, "my godson has a name. Secondly, you know perfectly well you are not to talk to Harry without Orion or I present. And third," she finally turned to him over her sholder with an annoyed expression, "what do you want to talk to him about?"

"I haven't seen him all day." Voldemort replied. "Don't you consider that a bit odd?"

Arabella found herself in no mood at the present to even pretend being pleasant. As far as the day went, she had just one nerve left. And as the old saying went, Voldemort had just gotten on it. "Seeing as Harry would most likely prefer dancing with Deatheaters to spending time with you, no, not really. And the boy is good at hiding when he wants to be."

The room became silent of voices as she went back to work. But instinctively; no, out of habit, she knew he was still there. This among all his other ever increasing list of strange traits was probably the most maddening to her. He wouldn't just leave a room when she felt they were done talking. Instead he would simply stand behind her and stare at her.

"One would think you would be a bit more interested in the boy's whereabouts." Voldemort said finally.

"And unlike you," Arabella replied, not turning to him, "I do not consider Harry a complete idiot who can't be out of my sight for more than a minute."

"One should wonder." Voldemort replied with a touch of heavy sarcasm. "The way you coddle that boy, it's a wonder he can do anything for himself."

"I was not aware I needed to answer to you for how I raise my godson."

Arabella could feel the smile in the answer. "I thought the boy had a name, Arabella."

Arabella rounded on him, pointing at him with the knife still held in her hand, "If you're so concerned about my godson's whereabouts, then by all means, go look for him. Heavens!" She stated sharply, turning back to her work. "It would at least give you something to do!"

"I have things to do, woman!" Voldemort stated, though in a slightly less sharp tone.

Arabella stopped chopping suddenly, her whole body reacting to the sound of the word. She hated him using that word with her. To her it was as though he was reducing her to...to one of his lowest ranking Deatheaters, not even entitled to a name.

"What," she stated in a low, dangerous tone, "have I told you about using that word with me?"

Saving dignity if nothing else, Voldemort gave a slight huff of irritation before turning and leaving.

Arabella checked the wall clock. One-thirty. That should give her about a good forty minutes of peace and quite before he came back needing something else.

"Arabella?"

Arabella spun around, the knife once again held out in her hand.

"What could you possibl..." But she stopped short at the stunned look on Orion's face as he stood in the doorway.

"Just needed parchment." He stated quickly in a mockingly frightened voice as he held his hands up in front of him.

Arabella sighed as she lowered the knife and turned back to her work. "In the hall closet." She said. "Heavens, Orion. It's your house. You should know where things are. Voldemort almost has a reason to pretend to be stupid. What's yours?"

Orion paused in the door for a minute, then slowly ventured into the kitchen.

"Problems with the great dark one?" He asked, coming over to her.

Arabella sighed again and shook her head. "Nothing I should be letting get to me like this." She replied. "I mean, really, he stopped being frightening ages ago. Now he's just irritating."

"How so?"

Arabella looked to the doorway for a moment. "Well, like a few moments ago, he came in here looking for Harry simply because he didn't know where he was. Yesterday he came asking if I had any Chennery."

"Chennery? That's a common potion ingredient." Orion looked more interested. "What did he want that for?"

"That's what I asked him. He said it was looking for something to feed his owl. It was hungry."

"Possible, I suppose." Orion said after a moments thought. "Rupert loves the stuff."

"The time before that it was..." Arabella paused for a second, but then continued with a slight smile, "...parchment."

Orion returned the smile. "So tell me, did he find any? I happen to be on the same quest."

"Go. Check. The closet." She stated with a touch of good-natured irritation in her voice.

But instead Orion stepped up behind her as she added the chopped carrots to the pot on the stove. He sniffed over her shoulder a few times.

"Hey good-lookin'," He said playfully, "whatcha' got cookin'?"

Arabella smiled slightly, then bumped him back with her elbow.

"Stew. And back off. It's not done yet."

"Smells done."

"Not for a few more hours."

Orion sniffed the air again. "Sirius always said nobody in the world could cook like you."

"Really?"

"I don't remember you ever cooking for me."

"I never cooked for Sirius while we were dating either."

"Then I don't feel nearly so left out." Orion replied as he reached around her for a spoon laying on the counter top.

Orion leaned around her a bit further as he dipped the spoon into the pot, wrapping an arm about her waist to balance himself as he did so. Carefully he brought the spoon to his lips, blew on it a few times, then tentatively tasted the contents, all the while never removing his arm from around her waist.

Arabella stood very still as Orion mulled over his decision, not wanting to risk offsetting his balance.

"Orion." She said finally.

"Give me a minute." He replied. "I'm thinking."

"Try thinking about this." She stated a bit sharply. 'You can either remove your arm, or I can remove it for you. Although I'm likely to start at the shoulder."

The arm quickly slipped back from around her waist. He laid the spoon back down on the counter as he stepped back.

"Your skills haven't diminished one bit, Arabella." He said with a brief smile as he turned and left the room.

Somehow she didn't think he was talking about her cooking.

From the opposite doorway another party watched the scene unfold with growing interest. A pair of eyes narrowed as they watched the arm tried to slip so innocently around Arabella's waist. One's that filled with a silent laughter at her response and then disappeared when Orion finally left the room.

Out in the back yard, Orion leaned casually over the fence, watching the sun set over the field in the back of the house past the garden. All in all it was a pleasant evening outside. The temperature was mild and there was only a slight breeze blowing. But Orion would have bet a hundred galleons he could feel the air around him start to chill as he heard footsteps coming up behind him. He didn't move, however. Even when Voldemort joined him leaning over the fence.

Both men stood that way for what seemed like an impossibly long time. But it was finally Voldemort who broke the silence.

"Your presence here, Black, is becoming a distraction." He said quietly. "Perhaps it is time you thought about leaving."

"The sad part about that," Orion replied in the same tone as he turned slightly to the man next to him, "is that this is my house."

"It also belongs to your brother. And to your parents. Therefore you are not the house's sole owner. Nor are the things in it solely yours."

Orion pulled up from the fence and now turned to fully face the dark wizard.

"What is your point?" He asked.

"Your futile attempt did not go un-noticed."

"Attempt at what?"

Voldemort smiled slightly, though he still stared out over the field. "Seduction."

Orion started to say something but stopped himself in plenty of time to maintain a casual composure. Instead he simply stared at the other man.

Voldemort turned his head to him. "She doesn't want you. And your attentions are not welcome. Like the things in that house, the woman is not yours to arbitrarily lay claim to."

Orion stared blankly at Voldemort for a moment, then a genuine smile broke over his features.

"Are you warning me to stay away from Arabella?"

Voldemort now turned to fully face him. "I am telling you that you are an unwelcome distraction. I have need of the woman's skills. As well she controls the boy. Your attentions are shifting her focus. And I do not want that."

"Shifting her focus?" Orion almost snorted a brief laugh. "Shifting it from who? Harry...or you?"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Well, she may not be mine, Voldemort," Orion pointed out, his smile never faltering, "but you keep one thing planted in that twisted little mind of yours. She isn't yours either."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, oh dark lord, that I've been watching you as of late. And I have watched a rather interesting scene beginning to develop."

"Really?" Voldemort answered with a mocking smile.

"My kind are trained to watch and observe. We can read volumes into the smallest action. And we're rarely wrong. What I am seeing is a man slowly being drawn in by the things around him. Things he's never had before. Things...he wants."

Voldemort's brow creased into a deep, straight line. "Things?"

"Care. Attention." Orion stated slowly. "His own twisted view of love."

Voldemort narrowed his eyes again as he studied the former Auror before him. "Are you sure you haven't been drinking? I think that 'all seeing vision' of yours is a bit blurred."

"Hardly." Orion smiled back. "You just remember something for me." He stated slowly. "You may have stolen my brother's body. But you will not steal his life as well. You think either of the people in that house would even accept you? Even as a friend? Let me refresh your memory. You murdered Harry's parents. You tried to kill him. You have tried over the past several years over and over to kill him. You tortured my brother. You tried to murder him. You stole his body. The man Arabella loves. The one she has chosen to marry. Somehow...just somehow..., I don't think you'd find your welcome quite as warm as you think it would be if you weren't in that body."

Voldemort smiled a bit wider. "Then perhaps I should just keep this body." He replied. "I would think that to be the rather simple answer. Supposing any of this idiocy of yours was true."

"You remember your promise to Harry, Voldemort." Orion stated, pointing a finger at the dark wizard. "You made him a promise, as a wizard. And your going to live up to it. You promised to return his godfather to him. The godfather he wants back." Orion told him pointed. "Not you. Sirius."

Voldemort stood for some time studying the man before him. Orion half expected the man to come back with some cutting remark. But Voldemort instead simply turned and walked silently back to the house.

But Orion didn't miss the door slammed behind him as he stepped back inside.

The Auror smiled quietly to himself.

First infatuation.

Now jealousy.

Things couldn't be working any better if he had simply requested them from a menu.

Orion checked his watch, then turned and walked around the gate.

"Bo!" He called.

Almost instantly a large black cloud flew out from one of the trees around him and wrapped itself about him before dissolving into the form of the man it hung around. Orion headed out past the anti-apparation fields around the house, then silently disapparated.

**Q&A**

**FAMILY RELATIONS**

Skahducky:

**I imagine Harry, Voldemort, and Orion will be leaving in the next chapter? I wonder how Voldemort's going to react to finding out Orion's going too, although perhaps nobody will tell him. Harry will probably, know, though, right? Will Orion have recovered enough in a few days to go on such a mission? Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

Welllll..., sort of, but not quite. I would give it say another chapter...maybe two. But they are very close to leaving right now. I just need to lay out a few more points before that happens.

Will anyone tell Voldemort Orion is going? How could he not know? The man will be standing there. Aside from claiming he's just there for the send off, I think Voldemort will be slightly suspicious.

Now see, you're sort of hitting on the reason for the delay in leaving. No, he is not up-to-snuff enough to handle such a mission yet. But he has a backup plan already in the works to cover himself if the need arises.

MasterLupin:

**Well the best defense is a strong offence. By using skirmishes one can determine the strength, weapons, and power of an opposing force. That said:  
I think a chapter or several paragraphs with Harry learning the essentials of adulthood could be a fun and amusing read. **  
**I also think Harry is not the tactical fool that everyone takes him for; he will no doubt realize that Voldermort will be after him next. I think that Harry will make his own plans, albeit they will be a little reckless. I think this for two reasons.  
One, Harry has been looking for someone to tell him what to do, as most children do when confronted with a problem but, no one has given him a straight up answer.  
Two, Harry is not a fool, he will know that Voldermort has a plan, and like any smart chess player, he will come up with his own.  
The plan may be the worst plan in the world, but it is a plan nonetheless.  
Now that I think about it I also think that Orion will take on the father roll as he is a father of five. This is will not be out of the goodness of his hart though, it will be because he will feel that he will be able to manipulate (bad choice of words but the meaning is there) Harry better this way.   
Sorry to hear about your computer dieing on you.**

First off, thank you for the kind words about my computer. It was a very traumatic three weeks.

Well, if Harry isn't making plans to cover himself, he definitely should be. He's not quite as taken in with the new Voldemort as everyone else seems to be. He very much remembers that this is the man who killed his parents. Who left him and orphan. And who basically altered his life to one that few people would want. However, he is also keeping in mind Sirius' words. 'Be nice to him'. So Harry is walking a fine line between tolerating the man and wishing he were definitely somewhere else. Preferably, anywhere a good hundred miles away from his godmother.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome chapter! Update soon! **

Thank you, Dear. I do try to keep the updates regular, barring dying computers and such.

**DIAMOND**

Bubbygirl:

**Hi. I thought this story was wonderful! The way you depicted Snape and annalisa was pretty good too. I liked this story and will be telling my friends about it.**

Thank you, Dear. Glad you enjoyed it. And I always appreciate the free advertising.

All reviews are as of 11/26/2006.

And remember;

It's not the gift, but the thought that counts. So save money and just tell people what you thought about giving them.


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Not much to say, except,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**Chapter Thirty-Three A: Would You**

A few moments later Orion was sitting in his superior's office, once again trying to summarize what was going on around him.

"Things haven't really changed much." Orion finally finished. "Voldemort just keeps following Arabella around like a love-starved puppy. Whatever attention he can get he takes. Good, bad...it's the indifferent he can't handle."

"So he's persistent?" Bale ask.

Orion smiled slightly. "Very."

"And how is Figg responding to all this attention from him?" Bale inquired.

"At this point," Orion concluded, "I'm just happy if Arabella doesn't kill him as a knee-jerk reaction. I think he's really starting to get to her...and not in a good way."

"Just make sure the ever-resourceful Ms. Figg doesn't do him a permanent injury. We still need Voldemort to find this wizard. That'll be a bit harder for him to do if he's dead."

Orion barely hid the smile on his lips. "Yes, sir." he answered dutifully.

"And what about your plans when this is all done? In the end we have no guarantee that Voldemort will release your brother."

Orion's smile dropped completely. "I'm working on that angle as a possibility." He answered. "One way or the other, Voldemort is going to release my brother."

"And then?"

The smile slowly crept back over the younger man's lips. "My plans there have never changed." he replied with a note of deep satisfaction in his voice. "Voldemort is still a criminal. I couldn't care if from this day forward he's a candidate for sainthood. The man has tortured, murdered, and terrorized the whole of our community for years. Once this is over, he is going to pay for those crimes. Hopefully by spending the end of his miserable life in Azkaban as a mindless hunk of flesh rotting in a cell as cold and dark as his soul."

Bale gave a brief nod. "Just make sure Arabella knows what is expected of her."

"She will."

Bale leaned back in his chair as he studied the other man for a moment. "Are you ready for the journey when Voldemort decides to leave?"

Orion nodded. "I'm actually expecting that to come any day. He's getting more anncy by the day."

"Anncy?"

"He acts like he's waiting for some sign. I don't think the day is of his choosing or surely he would have left by now. He's waiting for something."

"Any idea what we're looking for?"

Orion shook his head. "Not a clue. But I'm keeping a close eye on him. Sooner or later he'll make his move, and when he does I'll be ready."

Bale studies his agent again in silence for a few minutes. "You know you don't have to take this mission, Orion." he stated. "Just say the word and I'll assign someone else."

Orion shook his head. "I'm the best pick for the job, Orin. You know that.

And despite what my lovely bride thinks, I doubt even you consider me so much of a wash up that I can't handle even this."

Bale raised an eyebrow. "You know about Katlin's concerns?"

"How could I not?" Orion stated. "She chewed over them for days, sure that the after-effects of the poisoning would be the death-knell of my career. Actually I'm surprised all you got away with was a mission assignment. Here I was half expecting a promotion and a raise just so you could prove you still loved me." he added with a smile.

"Don't love you that much." Bale grumbled. "But still, you feel there's a problem, just say the word and I'll replace you."

Orion shook his head again. "Like I said, I'm the best pick for the job. Voldemort has no reason to suspect my tagging along. And I suspect he'll still bulk at the idea. Any other agent he'd out-right refuse and likely try a runner on us. The last thing we need is he and Harry disappearing with no idea where they've gone off to and no way to even find out or follow them."

Bale nodded. "All right. But remember we have no way to know what to expect here. But once you start on the journey, keep in close contact. I want to know where you are and what's happening every minute. No surprises."

Orion nodded once as he got up, then headed home.

Back at the house Arabella set about laying out the table for dinner. She carefully set three places, solemnly wishing it were just two. Orion always begged off dinner, but Arabella took no offense in it. Although his explanation was he had work to do, she knew all too well that another place was set and waiting for him each night at his parents house, where his own family waited for him each evening, five eager young children all clamoring at once for their father's attention. And although she would rather he had remained at the house, she knew that the few precious hours he got to spend with them was worth more to him than almost anything, and she wasn't about to deny him that. Especially when he returned each night looking happier than he did all day.

But it seemed to her that the cost of his happiness was her irritation. With no plausible reason to ban him from the table, Arabella found herself forced to share her dinner with Voldemort without the comfort of a buffer. Harry, while usually a proverbial fountain of conversation in ordinary situations, was becoming positively reticent around the dark wizard as of late, restricting his answers to the fewest words possible.

And so that night, much as she anticipated, dinner was a unpleasant torture for her as she tried to remain polite to the man on her left while keeping an eye on her godson.

Despite stew being one of his favorite meals, Harry sat at the table, absently moving his food about his plate while actually eating very little of it.

A fact that didn't go un-noticed by another occupant of the table.

"You need to eat something." Voldemort stated in a tone that wasn't quite an order, but wasn't exactly a request either.

Harry looked up briefly from his plate, but just as quickly turned his stare back to it. "I'm not very hungry." He replied quietly.

Arabella looked over at her godson. "Are you feeling all right, Harry?" She asked with concern.

Harry seemed to consider the question for a few moments.

Or more to the fact, he thought of how to answer it at all. What he was, was missing Sirius. He worried almost constantly about his godfather. If he was all right, trapped in his body, while Voldemort ran about freely with it. The thought that frightened Harry the most was if Voldemort would ever give up Sirius' body. Or if in the end, once they had defeated the other wizard, if he would just apparate away somewhere and Harry would never see his godfather again.

Harry slowly turned his eyes to his godmother. Once again their silent understanding seemed to pass between them as she gave him a warm, embracing smile.

"It'll be all right, Harry." She promised. "You'll see."

"How can you be sure?" Harry asked. "What if in the end, he won't give Sirius back his body?"

Voldemort suddenly lifted his head, a slight frown etched over his features at being discussed as though he weren't even sitting there.

"You don't need to talk to me, Harry." He stated sullenly. "But being ignored is just rude."

Harry turned a sharp stare to the man sitting next to him at the table. "All right then." He stated a little more forcibly. "Then tell me that. Is that what you're planning after I help you find this wizard? Just disappearing with Sirius' body somewhere?"

Voldemort leaned slightly over the table towards Harry. "I said I would release your godfather's body back to him when this was over. I keep my word."

Harry pulled back just slightly from the man leaning towards him. "I want to talk to him." He blurted out suddenly.

Voldemort pulled back. "What?"

"I want to talk to him." Harry replied a bit bolder. "To know he's all right."

"I allowed that just a few days ago."

Arabella quickly came to her godson's defense. "Voldemort, please." She said softly. "Let him talk to Sirius. Please."

Voldemort turned to her with a slightly odd expression. One that hung somewhere between irritation and something Arabella couldn't quite put her finger on. After several very long, silent seconds passed, Voldemort turned his attention back to Harry.

"All right." He replied. "But this is the last time before we leave. The transfer of control isn't some idle game. It stresses the body considerably. Something you would do well to remember."

Harry simply gave the man sitting next to him a small smile. "Thank you."

The change over seemed to Arabella to take longer than usual. But in the end, past a brief, slightly confused gaze, she saw the unerring look of Sirius staring back at her from those eyes.

Launching herself into his arms, Arabella welcomed him with a short but affectionate kiss, making sure he knew just how much she missed him and leaving no doubt she couldn't wait for this whole nightmare to be over.

"Sirius?"

Sirius looked over at the questioning stare of his godson. "Well, I hope so." He replied with a wink. "I'd hate to think Arabella goes around kissing the dark one like that."

Sirius found himself nearly knocked out of his chair by his godson's enthusiastic welcome as well. But he quickly pulled Harry back and stood him in front of him at arms length as he set the teenager with a serious stare.

"Harry, you know my time is limited, so I have to talk fast and you have to listen. OK?"

Harry quickly nodded, knowing from experience that they had no way of knowing when Voldemort would cut their time short or for what reason.

"First, what Voldemort told you is true, Harry. The change-over stresses the body, and its not something we can afford, all right. So limit pressing him to letting you talk to me to when you really need to, not just to visit, OK?"

Harry nodded quickly again.

"Good. Secondly, I can't stress enough to the both of you how important it is to not irritate the man. The more threatened he feels, the more he locks down a tighter grip on me. Even though Remus warned him about the possible effects of doing so, he's not taking that warning much to heart. But the more accepted he feels, the less cautious he becomes, and the more influence I can exert. You understand?"

Harry frowned at the suggestion. "You still want us to be nice to him?"

"I want you to be a little less hostile to him, Harry. I can react to positive feelings a lot clearer than a slap in the face, all right? Everything you do to Voldemort, you do to me. And irritating him just brings up his defenses, and its a lot harder for me to fight against those. Remember that."

"You want me to go around hugging him?"

Sirius gave his godson a small smile. "Maybe not that far. But don't slap me either just to spite him, all right? Just...be nicer to him. I think you'll be surprised how far just a little kindness can take you. Especially with Voldemort. He isn't used to people acting...normal around him. Nor is he use to unconditional acceptance. It's something most of us take for granted. Being able to walk into a room and just talk to people. For all else he is, Harry, Voldemort is a man cut off from normal conventions. People react to him one way usually. Fear. And that fear often breeds hatred. Just...try being a little nicer to him. You'll be surprised how much easier he'll be to get along with if he's not always on guard against everything and everyone."

Harry paused before answering this time, staring back at the man before him. Finally he slowly nodded again. "All right, Sirius." He replied.

Sirius quickly turned to Arabella. "And you," he said, pulling her against him again, "you remember only one thing for me."

Arabella gave him a soft, warm smile. "And what is that?"

Sirius fixed his gaze on her, not one ounce of warmth answering her's. "You remember I love you. And you never forget that. Not ever."

Arabella's expression quickly turned to confusion. The declaration had sounded more like an order than anything. But before she could say anything she felt the body holding her stiffen and she quickly pulled herself out of the arms holding her.

When next she looked into the man's eyes, she could only see the cold darkness staring back at her again. Sirius was gone again, and in his place was the man he had just told her to be more accepting of.

Heaven above! Did he have any idea what he was asking of them?

But Arabella quickly shook off her uncertainty. For all her questions, she had only one answer. One choice. Sirius would not have ask her to do this if he didn't have a good reason.

And there was no time like the present to start.

"Thank you." she said simply. "I appreciate you letting us talk to him again."

Voldemort seemed to shrug off her appreciation. "Don't expect it again any time soon. We'll be leaving here shortly, and once we begin the journey to track down this wizard, I can't have Black distracting me simply because you get lonely for a chat."

Harry, having quickly retreated to his chair, turned his eyes suddenly to the man. "Leaving?" He asked. "When?"

"Shortly." was the only answer Voldemort offered, turning his attention back to his supper.

Later that night, Arabella answered a knock on her door praying fervently that it was anyone other than who she was expecting.

A wave of relief washed over her as she greeted Orion in her doorway.

"Long evening?" He inquired as she stepped back with a sigh to let him in.

"It's always a long night with Voldemort." She replied. "But at least this one was a little more productive than usual. Especially for Harry."

"Harry?" Orion questioned as he closed the door. "What was so different about tonight for Harry?"

Arabella turned back to him. "Harry wanted to talk to Sirius again, and Voldemort agree to it."

"You talked to Sirius?" Orion's interest peaked. "What did he have to say?"

Arabella shook her head. "Much the same as always. He ask us to be nicer to Voldemort. He said that if Voldemort felt we were accepting him more, than he wouldn't feel he had to be on guard all the time. That he wouldn't cut Sirius off from us as much."

"Sounds like good advice to me."

"Easy for you to say." She replied, walking across the room. "You don't spend half the time I do with the man."

Orion gave her a small smile. "Because I'm not the one he wants to spend time with."

Arabella turned back to him. "What is that suppose to mean?"

"Haven't you noticed anything about him?"

"Aside from his being an irritating little...?"

"Exactly, Arabella." Orion pointed out. "He's being irritating. Why?"

"He's good at it?"

'He won't leave you alone, will he? You said it yourself. He comes to you a hundred times a day for half a million little reasons." Orion stepped in front of her, meeting her questioning stare. "He wants to be around you, Arabella. The reasons aren't important. Just as long as they accomplish his goal."

"Which is?"

"Being near you without being obvious." Before Arabella could respond, Orion turned her about in his arms so she now stood facing the floor length mirror that hung in her room.

"Look at yourself, Arabella." He whispered in her ear from behind her. "You are a very beautiful woman. And no matter how indirectly, you have shown him some attention."

"By yelling and cursing at him?"

"Attention is attention, Arabella. But more importantly, yes, by yelling and cursing at him."

"Then he's stranger than I thought."

"Listen to me." Orion whispered softly in her ear again. "Yes, you yell at him. You swear. You curse. I wouldn't turn down a bet that you're just five minutes away at any given moment of striking the man. And you do it because you aren't afraid of him. You aren't some mindless little Deatheater doing anything he says without question. I have no doubt you are very intriguing to him. A woman who he is starting to see as an equal. A very competent...very attractive equal."

Arabella paused as she studied her reflection for a moment.

"What is it you want me to do?" She asked in a whisper.

"Play to him. Give him what he wants."

Arabella came out of Orion's embrace in a fury.

"What!" She nearly shrieked at him. "You think I would...that I would ever...!"

"Attention, Arabella." Orion pointed out quickly, holding his hands up in front of him. "All he wants right now is your attention. Give that to him. Talk to him. Be a little nicer to him. Spend more than five minutes alone in a room with him."

"And when that gets old, and he wants more, then what do you suggest I do?"

"I suspect we'll be done with him by then."

Arabella turned to the floor, hugging her arms tightly.

"I don't think I can, Orion. He's..."

"...Sirius." Orion finished for her quickly.

Arabella looked up at him.

"Beneath it all, Arabella, he is still Sirius. Just think of things in that perspective."

Arabella turned back to the floor.

"You are still an Auror, Arabella. You dedicated your life to fighting evil forces. And there is none more evil than the one that presently has its interest focused on you." Orion wrapped his arms about her and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Use that, Arabella. It may be our greatest weapon against him."

Arabella wrapped her arms tighter about her body, hugging herself as though warding off a chill.

"Do you have any idea what this is like for me?" She asked in a low, solemn tone. "To look at him, and see Sirius. To hear him speak, and to hear Sirius' voice. And every time, hoping, and praying, and wishing that maybe that time...maybe this is the time he managed to break free. That he's come back to me."

"Give him what he wants, and someday Sirius will come back to you, Arabella. But in the meantime, know that the more attention you show him, the kinder you are to him, that somewhere underneath all of that, Sirus hears you too. And maybe the sound of your voice, or the touch of your hand is what keeps him alive. What gives him the strength to try and break free. And maybe one day he will manage it."

Arabella thought back to Sirius' parting words to her. 'Remember I love you. Never forget that.' Maybe this is what he was talking about. What he was trying to tell her in his expression. Although it may be Voldemort she is talking to, that underneath the surface he was still there. That the kinder she was to Voldemort, the weaker his defenses and the more possibility he could break free.

But the thought brought with it a fear lurking in the back of her mind.

"Voldemort will kill him before he lets him go free." She stated forlornly.

"Then what better excuse to try and exercise a little control over the man? To get him to a point he won't do anything that would upset or hurt you." Orion turned her back to him. "You're doing this as much for Sirius as anyone, Arabella. Remember that."

**Q&A**

Silverfox:

**Ah, but that's exactly why I picked the word. It would take Arabella a moment to place exactly what Katlin meant (and I didn't imagine it as an afternoon tea scene, but a passing remark in a hallway, so by te time Arabella has realised that though intercourse covers the same meaning as conversation, conversation doiesn't cover all the meanings of intercourse, Katlin would most likely already be out of reach for further questioning ...)  
I loved to see the relationship between Katlin and Orin in this chapter. Am finding Orin more and more interesting in fact.**

Like the reasoning, Dear. And indeed, leave it to Katlin to use a little word play to make a point and then a clean escape.

Trust me, Orin Bale is a very interesting character. He actually evolved off of a small snippet of a show I saw once. One of those ones with all letters in the title, I think. I only saw bits and pieces of scenes with this character in them. And actually, Bale evolved more out of the 'presence' of the character than his actual personality. Based solely on what I thought of when I looked at the character, the head of the Unspeakables came into being. Orin Bale is a man who, in the most understated way imaginable, gets your attention when he enters a room.

As this chapter showed, his relationship with Katlin is a unique one. Several people may not have liked the idea that they were what could be described as almost downright amiable to each other. But you have to look at the big picture to understand the relationship. Katlin is no longer a blind follower of Voldemort. Someone had once suggested I was going to introduce her into the story and then 'reform' her.

That isn't what has happened with Katlin at all. She is still a Deatheater, still an Elite, and she still believes in the tenets of how she sees society around her. But she also sees that the man who guided her all these years isn't the man he used to be, and that perhaps she'd do well to do a little thinking for herself these days.

But she's also no fool. She knows that a lot of people still blindly follow Voldemort and will do whatever he says no matter how little sense there is in it. Based on that, she remains close at hand to try and steer him away from some of his 'less noble' ambitions.

Knowing that her ideals are still there but that her loyalties have shifted a bit, Orin sees her as an extremely valuable ally in stopping Voldemort. Even though their ultimate goals may not be the same, they both see him as a very dangerous man.

MasterLupin:

**well Orion is up to something, and Voldermort had a verbal backslap to the face. Which may alter Voldermort's attidue and cause him to change his plan of trying to get Arabella wraped around his finger. I predict that Voldermort will take on a new means of getting to Harry. I think that he will try to infuence Harry on the trip, maybe try to brib him to his side like he did in the first movie Voldermort tempts Harry with the power to bring back his parents in order to get to the stone. I think that if Voldermort was to do this, that Harry may become weak and ponder his postion.**

Orion is always up to something, Dear. It's his nature.

The beauty of Voldemort's plan is it is adaptable. Which is probably why he has managed to take it as far as he has. Until he took over Sirius' body, Voldemort had little else but time on his hands to sit and think out pretty much every blessed contingency to his plan. At this point the others would be hard pressed to throw something at him that he hasn't anticipated or planned for.

The beauty of variables to one's plans is you never know where they will come from. Whereas Voldemort planned to cover every possible situation around him, he never once considered that he himself might become the problem.

In manipulating Harry, Voldemort knows that, in the end, he holds one powerful trump card. Sirius. That there is nothing Harry won't do to ensure his godfather's safety. But being that as it may, Voldemort's trump card is becoming something of a problem in and of itself. Voldemort may have some control over the situation because he holds Sirius prisoner. But equally does Sirius hold Voldemort prisoner in that if anything were to happen to Sirius, Voldemort is SOL with pretty much everyone.

Ummmm..., don't think that Harry will fall to Voldemort's charm any time soon. Harry is still very much on his guard against him.

CelticHeiressFiona:  
**Another great chapter, as always. **

Thank you, Dear.

Skahducky:

**Where is Orion going? I wonder if Voldemort's going to change his demeanor now that people are catching onto him. Please update soon!**

Actually, funny you should ask.

Originally, Orion was simply running off to see the local plot device, meaning he wasn't really going anywhere, I just needed to close out the scene and that seemed an easy way to do it.

Why did he take Bo with him? Contrary to what people may think, Orion rarely goes anywhere without Bo, or that he isn't at least in some form of contact with him. Especially as tense as things are getting. A fact that will figure into the plot later.

People are catching onto Voldemort? Dear, they aren't even close to figuring out what the dark one is up to, trust me. Voldemort didn't spend the last year plotting and planning just so your average three year old could figure things out. And as for his demeanor, he has very little control over that. Most of Voldemort's change in temperament has to do with Sirius. Without that influence, Voldemort would be back to his old nasty self faster than you could say 'Kill the muggles'.

All reviews are as of 12/10/2006.

And remember,

A train stops at a train station.

A bus stops at a bus station.

On my desk I have a work station...!


	41. Chapter 41

A/N: Just a brief note, folks. This week there was a death in the family of someone close to me. One of the other cantors at my church lost her long time friend, Ralph. Although Pricilla may look on the outside to some to be a fragile woman, I can say that, having seen what she has handled the last three days, and dealing with a loved one's death so close to the holidays, she has shown more strength than most I know. But still, remember her and her Ralph in a prayer.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE B: IT'S IN HIS KISS**

If Arabella had thought a good night's sleep was going to help settle her mind, she couldn't have been more wrong. Especially since to have it do any good she would have had to have actually slept.

As it was her thoughts kept her up most of the night, chasing each other around in her head while questions simply led to more and more questions until she hardly felt as though she could think at all anymore.

By three in the morning she gave up any hope of sleep and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. A cup of hot milk with possibly a good shot of liquor might do the trick.

As she stood at the stove heating the milk a voice behind her took her so much by surprise she nearly screamed in fright.

"I know you like to cook, but this is taking it a little far, isn't it?"

Arabella stood with her hand over her rapidly beating heart as she mentally called the man ever name she could think of before answering him.

"Do you ever knock?"

"For what?" Voldemort ask, stepping into the kitchen. "To enter a room? I'd spend half my life knocking on doors."

"Then at least try making a little noise. I swear you're the quietest person I've ever met."

"Perhaps I should take to wearing a bell?" he ask, a faint trace of a smile on his lips.

Arabella took the pan off the stove and poured the hot milk into the mug she had set on the counter, forgoing the liquor. If she was forced to share her midnight snack with Voldemort, she felt it best not to fog her already hazy thoughts with alcohol.

"What are you even doing up?" She ask. "It's three in the morning."

"One might ask you that same question?"

Arabella took her mug and exited the kitchen, hoping the man would take a hint and leave her be.

She should have known better. Even as she made her way to one of the small parlors where she had hoped to enjoy her drink in peace, Voldemort followed along behind her.

Arabella sighed to herself as she took a seat on the sofa and used her wand to light a small fire in the fireplace. Well, Orion was right about a few things anyway. She was still an Auror, Voldemort was still...well,...Voldemort, and he did seem all to happy to talk with her. So once again she decided to put the time to good use. She couldn't sleep, so she might as well find out what more she could about what his plans were.

Carefully taking a sip from her mug, Arabella wrapped both hands about it as she settled it in her lap. "You said you and Harry would be leaving soon." she began, "Do you have a specific time?"

At first he didn't answer her. Instead he simply sat on the opposite end of the sofa studying her. It positively drove her nuts when he did this. For her it was the most un-nerving of all his habits. And she never failed to call him on it, putting an end to it as quickly as she could.

Turning to him she fixed her gaze on him. "Well?" She pushed.

Voldemort turned his gaze to the fire. "There is no set time." He answered finally. I was simply saying that we should begin planning for it. The longer we wait, the more time we are wasting."

"What more planning could you possibly need to do?"

"Actually," he answered, turning to her, "I only have one more loose end I need to tie up."

Arabella was pretty certain she did not like the smile that was slowly working it's way across the man's expression. "And what is that?"

"Do you remember our bet?" He ask.

"Our bet?"

"Yes. You bet me that Dumbledore wouldn't find my earlier...predicament...amusing."

Arabella gripped her mug a little tighter. She had always felt this particular bet was going to come back to haunt her one day. And she felt fairly certain today was the day. "I remember." She said quietly, trying to keep her voice steady.

"And I believe we agreed you lost that bet."

"I never said you won." She stated quickly. "I just wasn't going to argue the point with you anymore."

"The man leaned a bit closer to her. "Are you trying to renege on our wager, Arabella?"

"He didn't find it amusing." She defended, desperately trying to avoid the corner she felt herself all too expertly being maneuvered into.

"He smiled. That's as good as an all out laugh for Dumbledore."

Arabella decided she was as far into the corner as she wanted to be. Straightening up on the sofa, she met the man's stare with sheer determination. "All right." She stated. "I'll concede. I lost. What is it you want?"

Voldemort didn't even try to hide the triumph in his expression this time. "I believe at the time the bet was made, you said 'anything I wanted'." He reminded her.

"And you said it would involve only me." Arabella quickly tagged on. "So now that we've re-established the parameters , what is it you want?"

"A small thing, really." He said, his eyes never once leaving her, giving Arabella the almost irresistible urge to squirm.

"Then get on with it." She replied. "What is it you want?"

"When Harry and I leave on this journey...I want you to go with us."

For several seconds Arabella simply stared back at the man. "That's it?" She asked finally. "You want me to come along?"

Voldemort nodded.

"Why?" Arabella ask, sure that underneath what appeared to be a simple request and the answer to most of her unspoken prayers, there was a scheme brewing.

"Because I need someone who the boy responds to willingly." Voldemort explained. "I don't intend to spend this trip arguing every move with him."

"So what you need," Arabella translated, "is someone to talk Harry into doing what you want him to because you can't."

"I need the boy to follow orders. You have to admit that isn't exactly Harry's long suit."

Arabella folded her arms across her chest as she stared the man down. "You know what your problem with Harry is, Voldemort?" She stated. "It's that he isn't one of your compliant, spineless little Deatheaters. If you tell him to do something and he doesn't want to, he tells you 'no'. Not a word I'd wager you're too familiar with. And since he isn't a good little Deatheater, following you around like a brainless little pawn in your game, you have no real idea how to deal with him."

"The boy needs to learn discipline."

"The 'boy' is a teenager, Voldemort. They're notorious for not liking to do what adults tell them. And if you think having me along will be some miracle panacea for your problems handling a teenager, guess again. You've miscalculated on two points. One, Harry, for all else he may be, is a 'teenager', and there are times he will no more do what I tell him than you. Second, if you told Harry to do something I didn't think was in his best interest, I would not stand there and try talking him into it just because you wanted him to do it. I'd tell you to bugger off right along with my godson."

Voldemort gave her a small smile. "I have no doubt." He replied. "But back to the main point. You agree to come?"

Arabella considered the offer for a moment. "Under one condition," she replied, feeling like for the first time she actually held the winning card with the man.

Voldemort frowned. "What condition?"

"Let me ask Sirius what he thinks. And I swear I'll do what he says."

"We discussed this!" Voldemort stated, his voice coming up slightly in irritation. "The switch isn't something that is to be done lightly. There are..."

"...problems with it. I know that." Arabella pressed. "But I have rarely ask for it for myself, and I won't ask again unless it's absolutely necessary. But for just once I want to talk to Sirius. Without interference from anyone else around. And I told you, I'll do whatever he says." Arabella raised one eyebrow at the man before her. "Or are you afraid of what he will say?"

Voldemort frowned deeply at her suggestion. "I couldn't care less what Black thinks. Nor do I think you'll base your decision as much on his opinion as you say either." The man stared back at her in utter indignation for a few moments, then finally replied, "But you can consult him just the same. Just know the time is limited. Switching again so soon after the last time isn't recommended nor can it be held for very long. So get to the point quickly."

Arabella watched carefully as the change took place, making sure Voldemort didn't try to simply pretend he was Sirius to tell her what he wanted her to do. But the moment the eyes opened again and focused on her, her doubts faded as she fell into his arms.

"Sirius!" She cried happily.

Sirius wrapped his arms tightly about her, hugging her to him. "Shhhhh." He whispered to her. "It's all right, 'Bella. I'm here."

"I'm sorry." She cried into his shoulder. "I know it isn't safe for you. But I needed to see you again. I needed to look into your eyes and see you looking back at me just once more."

Sirius pulled her back. "Once more?" He questioned.

Arabella noted his confused expression. "He's leaving, Sirius." She explained. "Don't you know?"

Sirius shook his head. "Leaving where? When?"

"He told Harry and I tonight that he is planning to leave to find this wizard very soon. He didn't say when, he just said 'soon'. At first he just wanted Harry to go with him, but tonight he ask me to go with them."

"You? Why does Voldemort want you to go along?"

Arabella shrugged. "He said to help with Harry."

Sirius' confused expression deepened. "Help with Harry?"

Arabella smiled slightly. "I think Voldemort is having a little trouble dealing with the will of a teenager."

Sirius returned her smile with understanding.

"I told him I wanted to talk to you about it first. And I promised I'd do whatever you said. But Sirius, I can't let Harry go with him alone. Even if he hadn't ask me to come, I would never have let him take Harry off alone."

Sirius hugged her to him again. "I know, Love. And I would never ask you to. You go with them, and I'll help as much as I can. I won't let him hurt you or Harry."

Arabella wrapped her arms about him and held on to him as tightly as she could. "Can't you stay?" She pleaded. "Can't you fight him? Sirius, please. I need you here with me. I need you back."

Sirius wrapped her more securely in his arms as he lightly placed a kiss to her temple. "A little while longer, 'Bella." He promised. "Then this will be over and I'll be back with you and Harry."

Arabella shifted in his arms as she stared up at him. "Will you, Sirius?" She ask, voicing all the same fears Harry had earlier that evening. "Will Voldemort keep his promise? Will he let you go?"

"We'll face that when and if we have to, 'Bella." He replied softly, taking her back in his embrace as he rested his head over her's. "For now just let me hold you. Let me feel you in my arms again."

Arabella relaxed into his arms, sighing with a contentment she swore she hadn't felt in weeks. "How I've missed having you hold me." She sighed with a smile. "Just waking up late at night and finding myself laying in your arms. Knowing that everything was all right. You were there, we were all safe and we were together. I've missed that more than anything else."

"And you'll have it again." Sirius promised, taking her face and turning her towards him. "Some day you'll wake up in my arms again. And when you do it'll be as my wife. But until then you watch after Harry. You go with Voldemort and you make sure our godson is safe. And you always remember how much I love you."

Arabella melted into his kiss, returning it with all the love she felt for the man holding her.

Finally pulling back, Sirius brushed the tears off her cheeks as he summoned up a small smile for her. "Until then, try not to be so unhappy, my love."

Arabella managed to return his smile as he drew her back into a kiss, accepting happily as he deepened it, pulling her once again tightly into his arms as he stroked her back and arms.

Finding herself so lost in the kiss, Arabella almost didn't register the sudden feeling that nudged at her. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but something in the kiss had changed. Pulling back abruptly, she stared at the man before her.

The eyes looking back at her were not Sirius' any longer.

With a solid shove, Arabella pushed away from the man holding her still. "Get away from me!" She all but screamed at him as she jumped up from the sofa.

Voldemort stared up at her with his usual indignation. "Why? What have I done? I let you speak to Black."

"How dare you!" Arabella all but hissed at the man, exercising every bit of resolve she had not to slap him. "That kiss...that wasn't...you...how dare you!!!" She finally ended her search for words with.

Voldemort stared up at her. "Honestly!" He shot back. "What difference does it make? No matter who it is, the body is the same."

"It makes a difference to me!" Arabella shot back in fury.

"Why?"

Arabella took a step back to assure herself he was out of striking range just for good measure. "I don't ever want you touching me." She stated in a low, deadly tone. "Do you understand me? Not ever again. What you did was reprehensible. You took advantage of a situation you had no part in. You haven't changed one bit." She added, pointing a finger at him. "You're just the same as you always were. What you can't have, you take. Well get this through that twisted little mind of yours, Tom Riddle. It isn't just a body to me. And it matters very much to me who is in control of it when I kiss those lips."

"Really?" Voldemort ask, his tone hardening as much as his expression. "And how, I wonder, will you feel after a few months? How well would you stand with your ideals if I never let Black go free? How long would your ideals last living with this 'body' day in and day out? Seeing him day after day? How long would it be before you realized it doesn't really matter to you who is behind a kiss? How long before you wouldn't care?"

Arabella stared at the man, letting his words sink in as the coldness of them wrapped around her. "Is that what you want?" She ask finally in a hollow, defeated tone. "Is that your price for his life?" Walking back over to him, Arabella forced herself to sit back down next to him, watching as she wrapped her hands around his face and willed herself not to stop. Not to turn away. Not to surrender. "Do you think for one second I wouldn't pay it? For him?" Arabella stared down at him, just inches from his lips. "And it does matter who is behind that kiss."

Arabella nearly fell off the sofa as the body beneath her wrenched back and away from her.

"No!"

Turning she saw the man standing over her. All the cold anger in his expression had been replaced by something far worse to her. A feeling that she doubted the man himself would ever admit to under any circumstance.

"I would never ask such a thing from you." He said in a quiet whisper, shaking his head as he took a step back. "I would never demand it, Arabella. And I would never want to be the one making you more unhappy than you are." Voldemort pulled himself up as he took another step back from her, seeming to try and drag what tattered shreds of dignity back around himself that he could. "I apologize." He offered her. "I did not mean to upset you. For now, I have several things I need to deal with at the liar before we leave. I'll defer to you to tell Harry the change in our plans. That you will be accompanying us as well."

Arabella sat clenching her teeth together to keep her mouth from falling open as the man turned and left the room.

Up in his room Harry lay under the covers for some time, listening for Arabella to come up and go to bed. Once he heard her door close he shot out of his bed and began rummaging through the top drawer of his dresser.

Finally finding what he wanted, Harry held the small colored stone in his hand.

"Katlin." He said to the empty room.

Within seconds a soft 'pop' echoed in the silence and before him stood the Elite Deatheater.

But much to his surprise, this time she wasn't alone.

Held in her arms, staring at the teenager with wide curious eyes, was a small child of about three.

"Bit late for you to be up, isn't it?" Katlin ask mildly, shifting the small child to one hip as she crossed the room.

"Who's that?" Harry ask, all but ignoring Katlin's question.

Katlin turned to him, then focused a smile on the child in her arms. "This?" She asked. "This, Harry, is my daughter, Katy. She wasn't having a very good night and so her mum was just trying to walk her to sleep. Isn't that right, my little love?" Katlin ask, her voice dropping off to a soft cooing as she cuddled the child.

"I didn't know you had a child." Harry pointed out.

Katlin turned a smile to him. "I don't." She replied.

Harry frowned at the statement. "But you just said Katy was your daughter."

"And you said you didn't know I had a child."

Harry frowned deeper.

"Too late for semantics?" Katlin ask with a pleased smile. "The point is, Harry, I don't have 'a' child. I have five."

Harry's mouth fell open. "Five?!"

Katlin held up a hand and ticked off five fingers in a row. "Thomas, Lucy, Justin, Vincent, and Katy."

Harry smiled as the child slapped her mother playfully on the nose, a delighted giggle following the face Katlin pulled.

"She's really cute, Katlin." Harry said as the child squealed happily as her mother cuddled her in her arms.

"And as any proud mother, I'm glad you think so." Katlin replied. "But you haven't answered the original question that I recall. Isn't this a bit late for you to be up?"

"I was waiting for Arabella to go to bed."

Katlin raised an eyebrow. "Why? Planning on running away? And don't look at me to harbor you if you are." She warned, shifting the child to her other hip. "I already have a house full. You come, you come as a live-in babysitter."

Harry gave her a faint smile. "No. I'm not running away."

"Too bad. Could have used the help." Katlin lamented. "So, if you're not running away, then what is the reason then for this little late night call?"

Harry sat down on his bed. "Well, first off, I am sorry for calling you so late. If I knew you had kids, I would never have called you. And I had to wait so late because I did want to risk Arabella walking into my room while you were here, since you're always telling me how much you and Arabella don't get along."

Katlin walked over to stand in front of the teenager. "You get points for courtesy and intelligence, Harry." She stated, staring down at him. "But your still missing the bonus answer. 'Why' did you call?"

Harry sighed quietly. "At dinner tonight Voldemort said that we would be leaving soon to go find this wizard."

"Really?" Katlin ask in what sounded like a mildly uninterested voice. One she hoped mask her concern at the information she'd just been so innocently given. She had hoped Orion would have a few more weeks perhaps to recover more of his strength before leaving with Harry and Voldemort. But apparently that wasn't going to be the case. "Did he say exactly when?"

Harry shook his head. "He just said soon."

"So what's the problem? Change you're mind about going?"

Harry shook his head again. "No. I agree that we have to find this wizard. That he has to be stopped from killing people. In a lot of ways, I think he's even more dangerous than Voldemort."

"But there is some problem?"

This time Harry nodded. "Katlin, it's going to be just Voldemort and me going after this wizard."

"Worried about the odds?"

"No. The company."

"Company?" Katlin questioned. "You mean Voldemort?"

Harry turned to look at her. "Katlin, Voldemort has tried to kill me several times already. Now it's going to be just him and me on this journey. What's to stop him from trying again?"

Katlin knew the teenager's concern was a valid one. One she and Orion had discussed on more than one occasion while trying to think of how to keep Harry safe during the journey. And she relied on some of those points to try and waylay his fears now. "Well, for one, Harry, Voldemort needs you to find this wizard. Without you, he doesn't stand a chance. So, you're sort of his golden goose at the moment, you see?"

"And once he's found the wizard?" Harry ask.

Katlin sighed quietly to herself. Leave to this boy to go right to the main problem. Once Voldemort was done with him, what was to stop him from harming the boy?

"Keep in mind that your godfather still has a great deal of influence where Voldemort's actions are concerned, Harry. I don't think he'll sit idly by while Voldemort kills you."

"But what if he can't stop him? What if Voldemort's just been leading us on to how much influence Sirius really has? What if...?"

Katlin slapped a hand over Harry's mouth. "You're playing that game again, Harry." she stated. "And I already told you, it's a pointless one at best. What if, what if, what if. It just chases itself around in a circle. Concentrate on the facts."

"Like what?"

Katlin studied the teenager for a moment as Katy shifted restlessly in her mother's arms. Katlin hated the dismal look on the boy's face, and knew all too well she had the ability to wipe out all his concerns with one crucial piece of information. "Harry," she finally said softly, "what if I told you you weren't going to go alone?"

Harry looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

"Just that. You and Voldemort are not the only two people going on this journey. Not anymore."

Harry considered her statement for a moment, then frowned. "We're the only two he's ever mentioned. Who else is going?"

"Orion Black."

"Orion?!" Harry sat up straighter on the bed. "But Voldemort never said..."

Katlin quickly silenced him by holding up a finger. "Because he doesn't know yet." She explained. "And I'd appreciate you keeping it that way. Black will handle telling Voldemort in his own way. All I'm doing is trying to assuage some of you're worries. But I know for a fact that the Ministry is no more thrilled with the idea of you going off with Voldemort alone than you are. So they have assigned Orion Black to go with you to make sure you get back in one piece. And trust me, there is no one better suited for the job than he is."

Harry sighed and slumped back down on the bed. "Well, that definitely makes things look a little better."

Katlin studied the boy for a moment. "Then you should try and look it." She advised. "What else is the matter?"

Harry looked up at her. "Voldemort let me talk to Sirius tonight." He told her. "And Sirius said Arabella and I should try being nicer to Voldemort. That it helps him retain some control if Voldemort isn't...upset."

"Sounds reasonable." the Elite agreed.

Harry frowned slightly. "Katlin, being nice to him isn't always easy."

Katlin smiled down at him. "There are times I'll go along with that."

"It's not always hard. I mean, there are times when he's more Sirius than Voldemort. But some days he's...just Voldemort. There's no trace of Sirius anywhere in him. So how am I suppose to deal with being with him every day? At least here I can get away from him mostly. What am I suppose to do when it's just me, him, and Orion?"

"You'll just have to try, Harry." She advised. "Sirius wouldn't have ask you to do it if it wasn't important, right?"

"But Sirius isn't the one having to be nice to him."

Katlin sighed as she looked down at him. "Look, Harry, I know it isn't much help, but think of it this way. Everyone has something in them we don't like. Something we wish we could change about them. But we can't change people to suit our personal likes and dislikes. Sometimes you just have to take the bad to get the good."

"But how do you do that with someone like Voldemort? Sometimes all I can think about is all the things he's done."

"I never said it was easy." Katlin pointed out. "But look, you accept me as your friend, don't you?"

Harry nodded.

"Both my good points and what you perceive as my bad ones?"

"But that's different." Harry replied. "You're..."

"A Deatheater, Harry." Katlin finished for him. "Plain and simple. I've done things I am sure you wouldn't approve of. Some that would likely even horrify you. I'm Voldemort's second-in-command. How much different from him can I really be, hmmmm? But you accept me. Without a question, but having a pretty good idea what my past is like."

"But you're not like the other Deatheaters." Harry pointed out. "And Dumbledore likes you, so you can't be all bad."

"What I am, Harry," Katlin replied in a flat tone, "is a Deatheater. And Albus Dumbledore's reasons for accepting me are his own. I stopped trying to figure that old man out ages ago. Now, I'm not the same woman I was years ago, that much is true. But Voldemort isn't the man he was a few short weeks ago either. You have to agree to that much."

Harry paused before slowly nodding.

"So take the good with the bad, Harry. For Sirius' sake, try to work with Voldemort. If for no other reason than that this wizard is a very dangerous person, and Voldemort is the only person who stands a very good chance of being able to stop him. And you're just 'what if' ing about how this will all wash out in the end. You have no real idea what Voldemort is going to do. So my advice is to let Orion Black worry about that. You just concentrate on finding this wizard, and let Voldemort handle him when you do."

Harry sighed but nodded. "I suppose you're right. And at least Orion will be there. So it's pretty unlikely Voldemort will try anything with an Unspeakable being there."

"Hardly likely." Katlin agreed. "And now, if that was all, Harry, I have..."

But that was as far as Katlin got. Without warning the door behind her opened and Orion stepped into the room.

For five silent seconds, two adults and one teenager all stared at each other in stunned shock. Which was finally broken by the happy exclamation of a three year old child who squirmed about in her mother's hold and reached out two tiny arms in the direction of the man in the doorway with one loud, happy cry.

"Da!"

**Q&A**

FAMILY RELATIONS

MasterLupin:

**Voldermort is on to how people are treating him, and I think he will let them think that it works. I also think his less evil demeanor is an act and that in the end he would like nothing less then Harry's head on a silver plater with a small side salad, by any means posible. I belive that Voldermort's plan goes on to have Harry take a fall during the inevitable confrontation with the wizard in the north. As two birds with one stone is defently in Voldermorts ways. Maybe he will ask Katlin to do it, and if she refuses he'll kill her, or her famliy. As I think that Voldermort has to many sources of knowledge to not be aware of her personal life. As a smart comander keeps his friends under opservation. He also has the ablity to readminds. Have a nice Holiday if you don't post again before then.**

Well, Dear, those are some interesting theories. And with some of them, only time and future chapters will tell. However, I will say this; not all of what you see with Voldemort is an act. The point of this story is trying to separate what is and what isn't. As the story progresses, his personality will settle down and become more stable. But right now it is still on an extremely uneven keel. What's holding him together right now is, in fact, Sirius. Without Sirius' influence, it is very unlikely at this point that Voldemort would even be functioning. So he is a lot more beholden to Sirius than he realizes right now.

Will Voldemort attempt to let Harry have an 'unfortunate accident' during the confrontation with the wizard in the North? As I always say, how can I answer that without making the story redundant? But remember, Voldemort is not just making things up as he goes along here. He has a plan. And the most ingenious part of his plan is that almost no matter what is thrown at him, he can adjust his plan to fit it. I will tell you this, though, because there was no way for you to know as that the story hasn't been posted yet; Voldemort has already seen the results of trying to come between his Elite and her children. And it wasn't pretty.

Voldemort may have a great many sources for information, Dear, but he has to utilize them to make any use of them. And currently, he has no reason to question Katlin. He knows she is living with the Auror, Orion Black. He knows she plays him for secrets, and he knows Black appears to be utterly smitten with her. He also knows that they are currently raising five children. What he isn't privy to is that his Elite and Black are actually married. A fact very few people know.

Ummmm..., I'm going to assume the mind-reading thing came out after Book V, which is where I stopped reading. So PAR has no idea what other wonderful little talents Rowling has since bestowed on her characters. As such, you can safely assume that in this story, he can not.

Happy Holidays to you too, Dear.

CelticHeiressFiona:

Thank you, Dear.

Skahducky:

**It was nice to see Sirius' side of things. Being nicer to Voldemort will definitely help Harry out when they go on that journey, especially if it means Sirius has more of an influence in Voldemort's demeanor. I think being nice to Voldemort will be harder for Arabella now that she knows why Voldemort spends so much time with her, but I imagine she's not going to have to deal with him for much longer since Voldemort, Orion, and Harry will be leaving soon. Please update soon!**

Well, as I said in MasterLupin's answer, Sirius isn't just in the background doing nothing. He is currently the glue holding everything together between he and Voldemort and allowing them to function as one, stable person. Without him, Voldemort wouldn't be worth very much right now.

How hard will it be for Arabella to be nice to Voldemort? Once again, I refer you back to MasterLupin's answer. Voldemort's personality right now is fairly...shiftable, shall we say. But as the story progresses, the personality begins to solidify and become more stable. So what you see is pretty much what you get.

FEVER

Table42:

**Hello! You really should write a sequel for this story. I love it. Please do! I do want to know whether Harry will go to Orion for the next summer hols and if the ministry accepts the name Harry James Potter Black.**

Dear, I don't remember if I answered you way back when or not, but if I didn't, and you are reading this story, know that this is 'sort-of' the sequel to Fever in that it incorporates some of the plot lines laid out in that story. But there was never an outright sequel to Fever. Sorry.

helbaffy:

Thank you, Dear.

abyssgirl:

**Wow! This is one of the first 'General' stories that I've come across on this site that was really good! You're so lucky to be gifted.  
Um, sorry if you think that this review is a few years late but I just found it now while I was browsing through some profiles.  
Lastly, is there a sequel to this? I checked your profile page but as I only read the summaries, I couldn't tell.**

Sorry if I've been an idiot who should've actually read the stories. Keep up the good work!

You're far from an idiot, Dear. First off, you read a story, liked it, and had enough sense to seek out the author page to see if there were anymore. Trust me, that's a bit ahead of some.

Now, as to the story, Fever does not have an official sequel, but Family Relations does borrow some of the concepts and plot lines laid down in that story. So it can make for a decent read if you liked Fever.

Ode To Harry Potter Summaries

knightsbridge:

**Re: Ode to Summaries:  
The best (or most annoying, take your choice) are the one-shots that have a summary longer than the chapter...i.e., story will go from before Hogwarts, through the final battle, and beyond. IN ONE CHAPTER STORY?  
Annoying to the max: Harry/Snape; Harry anyone Slash. I realse there are those who (yuck) enjoy this type of story, at LEAST warn the rest of us! Harry has so few things, I should think his arse would remain his! To those who don't put a "slash warning", may I present "The Greasy Git Award"**

Indeed, Dear. Welcome to the whole reason I wrote that little bit of verse. (That, and I was bored.)

I fully agree, however, that slash should be fairly well marked. But lets give a round of applause for at least withdrawing the NC17 rated category. Those were getting just down-right sick.

All reviews are as of 12/24/2006.

And remember;

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, or whatever you may be celebrating this time of the year. May it be a peaceful time for you and yours.


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: Just a brief word, folks. I need to make a 'sort of' retraction to something I put in my answer to MasterLupin last week. I stated that Voldemort was aware Orion and Katlin were raising five children. Well, that's 'sort-of' true. But let me expand on that a little bit. Voldemort knows Orion has five children living in his house with him. He believes Orion to be their father. He sees Katlin's part in the situation as simply being the live-in lover of a man with five children. He has no idea of what her actual status in the household is.

For right now, that's all you need to know, because any embellishment past that will just confuse the heck out of you.

It only effects this chapter and will not be re-visited in the near future of this story.

Also, please see the note at the end of this chapter and the explanation for it in the author's notes at the top of Chapter Thirty-four Part B.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR-PART A: KEEPING SECRETS**

Katlin readjusted her hold on her daughter as she pulled her back, staring down the man in the doorway. "If you think you're winning any awards for timing this year, let me solemnly assure you, you aren't."

Orion sighed as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. "I suppose it's far too late to pull out my wand and pretend to be arresting you?" he ask.

Katlin shook her head at him. "Honestly! We did that one just last week. And there happens to be two children in the room right now in case you've forgotten."

"I'm not a child." Harry barely whispered as he followed the exchange.

Katy had managed to once more turn about in her mother's arms and reach for her father.

"Dadadadadada!" The three year old cried happily.

Orion sighed and reached for his daughter. "Here. Give her to me. She sounds as though she's been a handful tonight."

Handing the child over, Katlin gave a soft sigh of resignation. "Just missing you as usual."

Harry watched the whole scene with a wide-eyed expression. "Katy...," he said finally, staring up at his uncle, "is your daughter?"

Orion turned his attention back to the teenager. "That's right." He replied. "I did mention my family to you, Harry." He added, draping an affectionate arm over Katlin's shoulder. "But I don't believe I've had the opportunity to introduce you to my wife."

Harry's gaze slipped slowly back to the tall auburn-haired woman by the Unspeakable's side. "Wife?" He ask carefully.

Katlin nodded. "You knew I was married, Harry."

The teenager's gaze narrowed slightly. "But you never mentioned it was to my uncle."

"You didn't ask?" she offered helpfully.

"When you were in the Ministry jail...when I came to see you...you gave me your pendent...and you..."

"I ask you to give it to your godfather." Katlin finished for him. "Because I knew Sirius would give it to Orion."

"Why?" Harry ask, his tone lowering slightly.

Katlin sighed as she looked at her husband then back to the teenager before her. "The pendent is charmed, Harry. In fact, it has a lot of spells placed on it. One of them allows Orion to find me not matter where I am. It's like a reverse portkey. It'll bring him to me." She explained, but then shook her head. "I didn't want him finding out what had happened at the castle and then try coming to rescue me. Things could have gone very badly for him if he had gotten involved. But you did what I ask and I will always be grateful."

"So grateful you lied to me all this time?"

"Harry, you have to understand..." Katlin started to explain, but Orion cut her off.

"Harry, Katlin and I are in a very difficult situation with our marriage, all right? Very few people even know about it."

"Does Sirius know?"

Orion nodded.

"And Arabella?  
Orion nodded again.

"Dumbledore?"

Again Orion nodded in response.

"And Voldemort."

Orion glanced quickly at his wife before facing Harry again. "No. And that's the reason things are so dangerous, Harry. Especially for Katlin."

"Why her?"

"Because, Harry," Orion explained, "if Voldemort found out about this marriage, there is little doubt that she would be punished."

Katlin stared back at him as he met her eyes. "Not punished." She corrected with a small shake of her head. "Killed, Harry. Voldemort would kill me if he knew."

"But you lied to me." Harry replied. "All these weeks you've been lying to me."

"Not because I wanted to, Harry." Katlin tried to reason with him. "But Orion and I have to be very careful about who knows."

"But Sirius knew."

"He's my brother, Harry." Orion pointed out. "How could I not tell him? And for your information, my parents know as well."

"And Arabella?"

"Arabella found out from Sirius. He told us he would tell her because he felt she should know."

"And what about Professor Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore had a great deal to do with us being together, Harry. If anyone deserved to be told, it was him."

"And there is some benefit in it for you, Harry." Katlin offered up quickly with a hopeful smile. "Once Sirius adopts you, you'll have an even larger family. This time including cousins."

"And an aunt." he added, though from his tone Katlin couldn't tell if he thought the idea was a good one or not.

"A Elite Deatheater aunt." She amended for him, her smile quickly fading. "Maybe not such a good deal after all, hey?" She added in a lower tone. Turning back to Orion she held out her arms for her daughter. "Maybe I should just take Katy home, hmmm?"

Harry noted Katlin's change in demeanor. He hadn't wanted her to feel he would rather she weren't part of his expanding family. He simply hadn't liked that through everything they had gone through she hadn't trusted him enough to tell him the truth about her husband. It certainly would have simplified a great many situations. If she had told him in the Ministry jail, he could have gone right to Orion himself. He could have told him what had happened.

'And what would he have done?' a little voice nudged him. Exactly what Katlin had tried to avoid. He'd have tried to rescue her and likely gotten in worse trouble himself. Then everyone would likely have learned the truth. A Deatheater married to one of the Ministry's top Aurors. An Unspeakable to boot. The Daily Prophet would have eaten that up. And where would it have left Katlin and Orion? Their secret out, Voldemort would have learned the truth then as well.

Slowly, as the scenario built in his own mind, Harry began to better understand Katlin and Orion's need for secrecy. It wasn't a choice for them, it was a necessity. And it couldn't be an easy thing, not being able to share that part of their lives with anyone outside of the immediate family. To always have to be careful who you spoke to and who saw what.

Harry watched as Katlin took her daughter back from her husband, trying to quiet the crying child as she reached for her father again in angry protest of being taken away from him too soon.

"You said I had cousins now." Harry spoke up quickly.

Orion was the one who answered him. "Five of them. You've met your youngest cousin, Katy. You have Vincent, whose a bit of a bookworm. Justin, whose the twin of his older brother, trouble-wise. Then Lucy, the oldest girl, and finally, Thomas, said older-brother, who's, I believe, your own age, Harry."

"My age!?"

Orion gave a small smile to his wife as he watched the teenager's interest reach an all time high.

"With a strange fascination for bikes with engines attached to them." Orion pointed out.

"Motorcycles? He likes motorcycles too?"

Katlin watched the exchange. Well, at least Orion had managed to smooth some of the teenager's ruffled feathers. And had peaked his interest in his new cousins as well. Or at least in one of them. Thomas would be thrilled to have someone in the family close to his own age to hang around with.

The time seemed as good as any to make a quiet departure.

"I'll see you later." She said to her husband, pulling her daughter to her as she prepared to disapparate.

Harry quickly turned to her. "Katlin wait!"

Katlin turned the same sad expression to him as Katy took advantage of the delay and reached again for her father.

"She doesn't seem to happy to leave." He stated, pointing to the struggling child.

"Well, she's about to learn one of life's hard lessons then." Katlin replied. "We don't always get what we want." She added quietly.

Harry turned to the floor for a moment. "Look, I'm sorry I got mad at you. I understand why you had to keep things from me. When I thought about it, I could see how things could spread. Knowing the Ministry, they probably wouldn't even let you two stay married. Think it was bad for their image or something. And it wouldn't be long before Voldemort would find out and...well, kids need their Mums. I know I miss mine, even though I can hardly remember having one. So, I'm sorry. And I won't tell anyone. I swear."

The apology brought a small smile to the Elite's expression. "I know you won't, Harry." She replied. "But Orion and I have to be very careful. I still would never have chosen to tell you. You understand? You have so much else going on in your life right now, you could accidentally slip and say something to the wrong person."

"Well, then let Orion put a memory charm on me. That would make you safe again. I can't accidentally blurt out what I can't remember."

But Katlin shook her head. "It's a two way street, Harry." She said. "Orion and I know you know and we might be the ones to make a mistake, forgetting you don't remember. We could say the wrong thing in front of you, or do something in front of you, forgetting for a second you don't remember. It's better you know and we know you know. You'll just have to be extra careful. All right?"

Harry paused for a second, then nodded.

Orion turned his attention to his wife as a thought struck him. "What were you even doing here?"

Katlin turned back to him with an unconcerned look. "Oh. That." She lifted her daughter to her shoulder, patting the child's back as Katy wrapped her arms about her mother's neck. "Harry called me."

Orion turned a firm gaze to his nephew as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You called an Elite to your room? In the middle of the night? For what reason?"

Harry quickly turned to Katlin, seeking help.

"Harry needed to ask me a question." Katlin supplied quickly. "And he called me because I told him too. Stop interrogating the boy, Orion."

The Auror quickly refocused his stare on his wife. "You 'told' him too? You've been coming here without letting me know?"

"I can do some things on my own." She replied levelly.

"It was dangerous." Orion pointed out. "What if Voldemort had seen you?"

"I'd have thought of something." She replied. "Harry wanted to talk to me. And it was important."

Orion turned back to the teenager. "It had better have been."

Harry turned to Katlin, who in turn turned to her husband. "Harry had a few concerns about the journey he and Voldemort are going on." She supplied simply.

"What concerns?" The Unspeakable all but demanded.

Katlin again ran interference for the teenager, offering up an abbreviated version of the boy's concerns.

Orion listened to it all before sighing as he stared at her. "And I suppose you have already informed him he isn't, in fact, going to be exactly alone?"

Katlin shrugged. "He was worried, Orion. And it isn't like it was going to be a secret forever. I saw no harm in letting him know."

"I know that you're going with us." Harry confirmed. "But I have no idea how you're going to convince Voldemort to let you come."

The Unspeakable waved his concern aside. "You let me worry about that, Harry. You only have to do one thing on this journey. Lead us to this wizard. Anything else I'll be taking care of."

"Anything else?" Harry was pretty sure he didn't like the sound of 'anything else'.

"What?" Orion turned back to him. "Do you think this wizard is going to let us just walk up to him? As carefully as he guards himself, my bet would be that he is going to do everything in his power to stop us from reaching him. And once he knows you're leading us, I can pretty much promise you you're off his Christmas card list."

"What does that mean?"

The Unspeakable leaned down to the teenager's level. "What it means, Mr. Potter," Orion stated solemnly, "is that once we start this journey, it is very likely this wizard will be after you as well as Voldemort and me. From our side you couldn't be safer. I have no designs on your life, and Voldemort needs you alive right up to the end. But this wizard is not likely to take to kindly to his secretkeeper turning into a bloodhound for his enemies. So you keep your wits about you on this journey, Harry, Voldemort and I will be guarding you, but if things get messy, you could end up having to guard yourself. That was part of those lessons Voldemort was giving you. Teaching you to defend yourself if the need arises."

Harry turned to the floor, not saying anything as he thought things over.

Katlin shifted her daughter as she turned to him. "What is it, Harry?" She ask, sensing the teenager's unease.

"I just feel more and more like Voldemort's been orchestrating this from the start, Katlin." He answered. "First he stole Sirius' body, then he backed me into a corner to make me agree to help him find this wizard, and now he's got us all hanging by a string waiting on his whim as to when we leave. No matter who we think is going, what's to stop Voldemort from grabbing me in a back corridor and taking off without saying anything to anyone?"

"Well, several things," Katlin replied. "Mostly, now that Dumbledore is aware Voldemort is planning to leave sometime soon, I doubt you'll ever be allowed to be alone with him at any given time. And Voldemort doesn't have anyone hanging by a string. He has no more an idea when you'll be leaving as anyone else does."

Orion turned to his wife. "How do you know that?"

"For sure? I don't." She answered him. "But from everything Harry has told me before you arrived and from the way Voldemort's been acting, I don't believe he has any control over the time this journey starts. He's waiting for something, Orion. I don't know what it is, but something has to happen before he can start this journey." Katlin turned a kind smile back to Harry. "And as for Voldemort having all the control, Harry. Don't you believe it."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning the only reason Voldemort currently has the upper hand is that you have yet to exercise your own control over the situation."

Harry and Orion both looked up at her.

"Mine?" Harry ask. "What control do I have?"

"A great deal." Katlin replied with the same smile. "If I understand the spell correctly from what I've learned of it, you are the one who should be making the rules, Harry. Not Voldemort."

"Me?"

"What has Voldemort done up until now? He's gotten you to agree to help him. Connived, cajoled, and downright manipulated when necessary. But everything he's done had to first have you're approval. And have you ever questioned him about any of it? Challenged him? My guess would be 'no', or at least not seriously. You accepted, Harry. And you went along with whatever he said."

Orion stepped over to his wife. "How sure are you of this?"

"Fairly. I've been studying this spell myself for several weeks now."

"You never said anything about that!" Orion cut her of.

"Because you were doing so yourself." Katlin answered calmly. "I didn't want to distract you. Besides, with two of us looking at things from different angles, it was more likely we would find something. Especially if we didn't interfere with each other." Katlin turned back to Harry. "Harry, if you could change one thing about this journey, what would it be?"

"Going." The teenager answered quickly.

Katlin studied him for a few seconds. "Really?" She ask in solemn tone.

Harry thought about the question a lot longer the second time. Finally he shook his head. "No. I'd still go. This wizard is dangerous. Even Dumbledore thinks so. So he has to be stopped. If I could change anything, it would be in who was going."

"Who is going?" Orion ask.

Harry turned back to him. "I don't think just three of us going is such a good idea. Especially since you and Voldemort will be spending most of your time either watching out for this wizard, watching me, or watching each other."

Orion crossed his arms over his chest. "All right. So who else do you think should go?"

"Professor Lupin." Harry replied quickly.

Orion's stare narrowed considerably. "Lupin? Why?"

"Because Professor Lupin is the next best person at defense against dark magic after Voldemort. Professor Dumbledore has to stay here at the school in case something happens back here. Sirius is already going...sort of. The next person I would want to go is Professor Lupin."

"I think Professor Lupin would be a fine addition to the roster." Katlin put in before Orion could offer up his opinion of the boy's choice. "All right then, when it comes time to leave, Harry, tell Voldemort you want Professor Lupin to go with you. I'll wager you'll be surprised at the results to your request. Just don't back down. Make sure he understands you mean what you say."

Harry considered her words, then nodded.

Katy began to squirm again in her mother's arms and gave a small whimper.

"Ah, finally someone is getting tired." Katlin stated, turning to her daughter. "Are we tired, Love?" she cooed at the child.

Katy nodded slightly, leaning against her mother with her eyes half shut.

"All right, off to bed then." Katlin said, conjuring up a fire so she could take her daughter back to her room by the quickest route.

"Katlin," Harry stopped her again before she left.

Katlin turned back to him.

"Thanks for the advice." He said with a small smile. "I don't think it's a bad thing at all having you for an aunt." He added quickly.

Katlin gave him a warm smile. "Thank you, Harry. I appreciate that. But where Orion and I are concerned, just remember to be careful. We aren't together often in public. That's another part of the price we pay for our family's safety. But sometimes its inevitable we're in the same place at the same time."

"Just try not to stare when I do things like this." Orion added, suddenly grabbing his wife and pulling her into a one armed embrace as he leaned her back and kissed her, little Katy squealing in delight at the free ride.

Harry quickly slapped his hand over his eyes and moaned. "Man! You two are worse than Sirius and Arabella."

His uncle gave him a quick wink as Harry peeked out to see if the coast was clear.

"Bet on it." He advised.

Katlin righted herself and quickly gave her husband a disapproving look. "Honestly!" She huffed at him, then turned a more pleasant smile to Harry. "Just remember what I told you, Harry," Katlin advised before she apparated out of the room. "And there are two sides to every story. Keep that in mind."

**(Please see Chapter Thirty-Four Part B for the continuation of this chapter.)**


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: Did you know that has a limit to how long your story chapters can be?

I didn't.

Hence, you get a Part A and Part B to chapter Thirty-four. But consider it one chapter.

Q&A will be at the end of this chapter.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR PART B: KEEPING SECRETS**

Back down in his study, Orion sat at his desk going over the last minute details of his mission. But his thoughts were interrupted by an alarm going off in the house. Pulling out his wand, he quickly drew a circle in the air in front of him and studied the information it gave him for a moment.

"Now what?" He asked himself as he frowned at the glowing sphere. Dispelling it, he turned in his chair just in time to see the familiar cyclone of wind start up from the floor in front of him. When the dust and wind settled again, Hershel Bennett stood before him in the room.

Studying the man for only a few seconds in a disinterested manner, Orion finally turned back to the open book on his desk. "Nice entrance as always, Uncle Hershel." he stated to the man behind him, "But tell me, have you ever considered just...I don't know..., say, apparating into a room?"

"And have you ever tried not being sarcastic?" The man answered.

Orion slowly turned back to his uncle. Something in the man's voice triggered a warning flag in him. "So what is it you want?" Orion ask carefully, keeping himself on alert for anything Hershel might try. He didn't like the half Dementor in his house when his children were there as well.

"A moment of your time." Hershel replied. "And one you would be well advised to give me."

Orion sighed as he leaned back in the chair, wondering if the man ever made a simple request anymore, or if they all came out sounding like demands in the end. "All right. I'm listening."

"I've come to repay a debt." the man said simply, as though that one phrase explained his whole purpose.

"I don't need or want your money, Uncle Hershel." Orion stated firmly.

The man frowned down at him. "Don't be impudent." He snapped. "This has nothing to do with money and it certainly isn't a debt I owe to you."

"Pity. Because I could give you a perfect way to relieve yourself of it."

Hershel raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"Release my wife. I'll be thrilled." Orion stated simply.

"Your wife is free of our bond. I have already sworn that to her. I never demand her attendance to me. Katlin has always come of her own free will, honoring her debt to me."

Orion sighed loudly. "Katlin comes to you because, for some reason well beyond anything I can fathom, she actually likes you, Uncle Hershel. Not because of any 'debt' you feel she owes you. Something I'm sure it's pretty much near impossible for you to acknowledge."

Hershel seemed to study the younger man for a few moments before he brushed the idea aside. "The debt I owe is to your father." He replied, picking back up with the reason for his coming in the first place.

"My father?" Orion's interest in the matter peaked. Hershel wanting anything to do with his family was never a good thing in his opinion.

Hershel took to walking about the room as he spoke. "For years I have been indebted to Talon. In the first months after my transformation, your father was the only one who stood by me. He saw me through the darkest days a man can imagine. Things I am sure to this day he has never told anyone of. The threats, the curses, the pleading, the begging, the silence...all of it your father stayed by my side through."

Orion had no doubt that the time his father had spent trying to bring his former partner back to the land of the living hadn't been an easy one. And Hershel was right. He had never spoken about it. But even as a child Orion had sensed his father had come back to them a different person than the one who had left a few weeks before. It was just another brick in the wall that had been built between he and Hershel.

"Your father never once even thought of leaving me." Hershel went on. "He never abandoned me to my own ends. He fought for my life even when I no longer cared if I lived or died. Now I have the opportunity to repay him."

Orion was liking the sound of all this less and less. Hershel rarely, if ever, to his knowledge, did anything for altruistic reasons. But, he mentally shrugged, this wasn't entirely that, really. Hershel was looking to relieve himself of a debt. So in the end, he was getting something out of it.

"How?" He ask cautiously.

"By giving you some advice, Orion."

Orion paused as he stared up at the man. Then suddenly burst into laughter. "Your debt repayment plan comes awfully cheap, Uncle Hershel. I doubt my father would see the trade as fair."

Hershel met the outburst with a stoic stare. "Don't be so sure." He replied in a tone to match his expression.

"All right then." Orion said. "Let's hear your words of wisdom."

"You're going with Voldemort and the Potter boy on their journey to find this wizard." Hershel stated in a manner that was more a statement than a question.

Orion saw no point in denying the truth. Especially with Hershel. If the man said something, he would without a doubt have the evidence to back his claim if his opponent chose to fight it out. "Yes." He replied.

"Then hear me out, Orion." Hershel stated, taking to moving about the room again. To Orion it seemed that Hershel rarely ever stood still. He wasn't sure exactly why, but the half-Dementor always seemed to be in constant motion, as though staying in one place for too long was dangerous to him.

"When I was attacked by this wizard's people, I felt something. Something I hadn't felt in so long I almost didn't recognize it." Hershel fixed his stare on the younger man. "Listen to me, Orion. This wizard isn't unknown to you. Nor are you to him. He knows who you are. He knows what you are. You are the one he fears. The Potter boy is merely a tool for him to use. Voldemort is nothing more to him than a fool. But you...you are the one he seeks to stop."

Orion sat up in the chair, staring up at the man before him. "Why?" He ask.

"I told you. Because he fears you. If you go with Voldemort and the boy, take my advice...take one thing with you."

Orion searched the older man's expression. Whatever Hershel was warning him about, he was absolutely serious about it. "And that is?"

Hershel set his mouth in a grim line. "Take Bo with you."

"Bo?" Orion sat up in genuine surprise.

Even as he spoke, the cyclone of wind and dust began to form around the man's feet. "And not for one second of one day should you not know where he is. You make absolutely sure of that." The cyclone rose up around the older wizard, then just as quickly dropped back down to the ground, leaving not a trace of it's presence behind.

Not a full minute later Katlin stepped into the room, carrying two steaming mugs with her, one of which she handed to her husband.

"And what did Hershel want?" She ask with no surprise in her tone at all.

Orion took the mug as he looked at her. He knew better than to ask how Katlin knew the half-Dementor had been in the house. It seemed their connection worked both ways. Not only was she connected to Hershel, but he to her. And whenever he came to the house, Orion swore his wife knew he was coming long before the wards alerted him.

Orion relayed the conversation back to his wife, frowning as he got to the end of it. Something in all of this wasn't right.

"So what was that all about?" Katlin ask, noting the crease forming across his brow. "A new scare tactic for Hershel?"

Orion shook his head slowly. "I don't think so."

"Surely he isn't thinking of using this as a way to finally get back at Bo? Telling you to take him along in the hopes he'll get hurt...or...worse." Katlin added, unable to completely finish the thought.

Orion shook his head again. "No. I think Hershel was very serious in everything he said, Katlin."

"How can you be so sure? Hershel can mask his true intentions from you. He's ever bit the Auror now that he was before. He knows all the tricks."

"That's true." Orion agreed. "But there's one thing about Hershel that hasn't changed. That in all the years I've known him, since he became the thing he is, one thing that has remained constant. One thing he has always done without fail."

"And that is?"

"He has absolutely never..., not once in all that time, ever referred to Bo as anything but 'that creature'. And he has never once, ever referred to him by his name."

Katlin pondered the information for a moment. "So why would he want you to take Bo with you? And why was he so adamant you keep him close?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that whatever Hershel encountered during that attack, it worried him. Enough that he is worried about our facing it."

Katlin looked up at her husband. Hershel worried about something was indeed bad enough. Worried enough he would take the time to come over to the house to warn Orion about it tan amounted to disaster.

"But Orion." she stated, "Bo is little more than a child. How can you think to take him on this journey? He could be in serious danger if he goes."

Orion shook his head. "Not if he stays with me. And I'll talk to him before we leave, Katlin. I'll make him understand he's to stay with me. He's not to wander off and he's to do only as I say."

Katlin watched her husband leave the room in search of the boggart. No matter how hard she tried, and past Orion reassurances, she couldn't dismiss the sudden foreboding that settled on her.

Shaking her head, she went off after Orion.

**Q&A**

CelticHeiressFiona:  
Thank you, Dear. It is much appreciated. And a Merry Christmas and Happy Hew Year to you.

Skahducky:

**Harry doesn't know that Orion and Katlin are married, right?  
You know, Harry's fears would have been assuaged even if he didn't know Orion was coming because Arabella would have told Harry she was coming along sooner or later. Probably in the morning, right?  
Why did Orion and Katlin look at each other in stunned shock? I don't think Orion should have a problem with Katlin talking to Harry. I guess he could just be surprised to see here there. Why was he coming into Harry's room anyway? Was nobody in that house asleep at 3 AM?**

First of all, I would like to say I was headed for some seriously fancy footwork to talk my way out of the 3AM thing, but finally gave up the idea and will simply say, "You got me. Have a Gold Star and wear it proudly".

Continuity errors, folks, are sometimes a fact of life in stories. And you, Dear, got me good with this one. But I have a small defense for myself. The way that chapter should have read was simply a reverse of the two scenes. Harry's part should have come first, since Arabella, in fact, did go to her room, and then got up later (3AM) to make herself a mug of hot milk. However, in my defense, I wanted the chapter to end the way it did. But in order to do that, I ended up overlooking a rather blatant continuity point.

This also clears up a few other points. One, what was Orion doing in Harry's room at 3 in the morning. Point of the matter is, he wasn't. He came to Harry's room more about 10PM. What was he doing there at all? He was, in fact, coming to tell Harry he was going with him and Voldemort.

OK, with that out of the way, allow me to try and clear up the rest of your questions.

Before this chapter, did Harry know Orion and Katlin were married? No.

Next, true, Arabella would have told Harry in the morning (most likely) that she was coming with him. But Harry didn't know that yet when he called Katlin.

Why did Orion and Katlin look so stunned to see each other? You walk into a teenager's room at ten at night, trust me, the last person you're expecting to see is your significant other. That was the first shock. The second one is, once you're over the first, you're immediately blindsided with the 'Now what?' scenario. Orion's first comment in this chapter more or less said it all. "I suppose it's far too late to pull out my wand and pretend to be arresting you?"

Orion doesn't have a problem with Katlin talking to Harry. He has a problem with his wife standing in a teenager's room at ten at night without telling him she was going to be there. Keep in mind Orion and Katlin have to be very careful about ever being seen together by anyone who doesn't know they know each other in some way. That would include Harry. Being caught in such a situation leads to situations much like the one you have here. Orion has two choices, pretend to arrest her or let her attack him. Exactly what people would expect to see happen. In this case he was utterly and completely thrown off (not something that happens to him too often) by the presence of his daughter, who he is not going to endanger in even a mock fight scene.

He's also more than a little confused by his wife's reaction to his appearance, which isn't, 'Oh, eek, an Auror. I'd better fight for my life', but more of a 'Congratulations! You've won first place in the 'Stupid moves' category. Your prize is getting to explain this whole scenario to the teenager.'

Hope that clears things up a little. Enjoy your gold star, Dear.

MasterLupin:  
**Well I will pray for your friend's loss this holiday, but the Lord said that he would test us all.  
Anyway, so was having us (the reader) meet Katy and learn the names of the other children our Christmas present? I espeshialy like the bind that katy put Orion and Katlin in by saying 'da' at Orion. As thier work to keep that little bit secret was just lit on fire and thrown out the window. I wonder what was going on in Harry's head befor the the 'da'; was he thinking that Orion would attack her or something? And I wonder what he thinks now that he knows Orion and Katlin are an item.   
I suspect that Voldermort will be non to pleased to accept another person on for the ride, as it seems he was intending for just Harry, Arabela, and himself to attend. So how will Orion get on board before the train leaves the station. Or will Voldermort tell him he can come with them. Only to leave in the dead of night and lose him on the way.  
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.**

Thank you, Dear. I am sure she appreciates it.

Ummmmm..., not entirely. It was just the way the story unfolded. Actually, this was added as a last minute change. I had Harry finding out about Orion and Katlin, but not until much later in the story. But this idea came to me as I was working on another chapter, and it was just so darned cute, I rewrote that part of the story to be included in this chapter instead.

The very thought in Harry's mind was something very much akin to what you said, Dear. First, he was wondering if Orion was going to attack Katlin, and secondly, what he was going to do about it.

What does he think now that he knows the truth. Well, for starters, that the idea is going to take some getting use to. Remember, Harry knew that Orion and Katlin were married, just not to each other. And the fact that they are makes some changes in how he views things as well. Such as that Katlin is no longer just a friend, she's his aunt. Also, a significant member of his growing family relations is not just a Deatheater, but Voldemort's second-in-command. And lastly, he has to keep in mind that he doesn't slip and expose a very dangerous secret.

Past all of that, he's absolutely thrilled for them, really.

Actually, Voldemort is going to be a lot less pleased by the time he actually gets this show on the road. But that's all I'm saying on that matter.

How will Orion get on board? Dear, it isn't like he's going to ask permission. To him, it's a statement of fact. He's going. Discussion over.

Will Voldemort try to pull a runner? Cute idea. Can I actually answer it? No. Gives away too much of the story.

And a Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year to you, Dear.

Silverfox:

**Oh, I love the ending of this one. Leave it to little Katy to explain the whole situation. ... I just hope Harry can take a surprise. ... I don't entirely agree that banning the NC-17 fics was a good idea. Yes, most of them were just junk, but there were a very few good ones that did need the NC-17 for their plot. (Okay, I'm grieving for one fic that doesn't seem to have been reposted elsewhere and really didn't deserve to be lobbed in with the rest.)**

Thank you, Dear. As I pointed out above, this chapter actually replaced another because I liked Harry finding out about Katlin and Orion in this manner far better than the way I originally wrote it.

What can I say? Out of the mouths of babes...!

Actually, as this chapter showed, Harry handled the whole thing fairly well. Especially for how very 'by surprise' he was caught. He was seriously expecting to have to fend his uncle off of attacking his friend. After all, Orion is one of the top Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries. Katlin is Voldemort's second-in-command. Facing each other in a room? That's a highly volatile situation. Instead, you have Katlin handing out first place in the 'Stupid Moves' category to her husband.

All right, yes, some of them weren't utter and total cp. But attracts a great many younger writers and readers based on its content who do not really need that kind of exposure.

And I would also like to point out how interesting I find it that has a program in their software that eliminates their name from any script if you spell it out entirely.

Just out of curiosity, Dear, what story are you mourning that got dumped and have you looked for it elsewhere? Most of the NC-17 went to The Restricted Section website.

All reviews are as of 12/30/2006.

And remember;

Happy New Year. May 2007 bring you all you hope for.


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: What can I say? Folks, it's been a cy week. My plans to audition for X-Factor got shot down, I gained ten pounds over the holidays, and my boss has more work lined up for me than five people could do in a month, all to be completed by the end of this one. So, happy?

Not really.

But, with that said, I will point out that I am still breathing, I can always loose weight, and I plan to audition for America's Got Talent instead. So, wish me luck.

Oh, and my girlfriends can dish out more sympathy than ten Jewish grandmothers together. Let's hear it for the female support system!

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE PART A: THE JOURNEY BEGINS**

Finding Bo, for anyone else, usually amounted to a day-long game of hide-and-seek. One of the boggart's favorite, with his own variations on the theme thrown in for good measure.

But for Orion or his father, it was simply a matter of calling him.

By the time Katlin entered the kitchen, Orion was already seated at the table with Bo sitting in the chair opposite him, leaned over as he studied his channeler intently.

"Now pay attention, Bo." Orion was saying. "This is important."  
But the minute Katlin entered the kitchen the boggart's attention shifted to her as though Orion wasn't even there. In an instant he was out of the chair and flittering about her, waving his arms and gesturing madly at her. All of which Katlin smiled at and nodded occasionally as she followed the excited ramblings of his gestures.

"Yes, yes." She said as Bo danced about her. "It's all very exciting. But don't you think you should be listening to what Orion is trying to tell you?"

Trying to explain the seriousness of the situation to Bo Orion had quickly found was like trying to convince a three year old that a trip to the local fair was a dangerous thing. Bo was simply too excited to care. All he focused on was that he was getting to go on a trip. That meant leaving the house with Orion. His absolutely most favorite thing in the world to do.

After several more seconds of being deluged by the boggart's overly excited gesturing, Katlin finally put a stop to it the way she always did when Bo simply got too wound up over something.

"Bo," she stated in a calm but firm voice, "it is all very exciting. But if you do not go and listen to what Orion is trying to tell you, there will be no 'trip'. Do you understand?"

The boggart's gesturing stopped almost immediately. In fact, he was back in the chair facing Orion so fast one hardly saw him move.

"I wish you wouldn't do that." Orion commented to his wife.

"What? Make him behave?"

"Treat him like a big, silly kid."

Katlin smiled at him. "Why not? Half the time, that's what he's acting like."

"Yes. But he's adaptable. And currently I need him to act more like a boggart."

"Adaptable?"

Orion nodded. "He's whatever the family needs him to be. For Thomas, he's a teacher, for Lucy, he's an ear to bend, for Justin, he's an accomplice, for Vince, he's a fountain of information, and to Katy's he's a 100 times better than a dog. But right now, I need my boggart."

Orion turned back to Bo, who promptly reached out and patted the man on the head.

Orion sighed to himself. "All right," he stated, "let's go over this again. And this time you pay attention. No fooling around."

By the time Orion was finished an hour later he felt fairly certain Bo understood the seriousness of the situation. He had explained everything out to him and then quizzed the boggart on what he had been told. All of which Bo answered without hesitation. All amid no less than three major interruptions. One when Katlin offered her husband a cup of coffee, another when Katy had started crying for her mother, and a third when a small fly had landed on the opposite wall.

Orion sometimes swore the boggart seemed to have the same general attention span of said fly. But he knew closer to the truth was that Bo simply was fascinated by everything that went on around him. Having lived for so long as a non-corporeal parasite to his host, having his own body was still something of a novelty for him.

But it made holding his attention a serious challenge sometimes. Especially if, magic forbid, he was excited.

**(--------------------------------)**

The next morning Orion seriously wished he had gotten more sleep the night before. Within fifteen minutes of getting up, he found himself being summoned to Hogwart's, along with Arabella and Harry.

Once in the Headmaster's office, Orion was somewhat surprised to find Voldemort already sitting in one of the chairs, looking more impatient than ever.

Orion took the chair closest to Voldemort, leaving the other two for Harry and Arabella. As that there were only three other chairs set out, Orion assumed that everyone else who was to be present had arrived. A fact that Dumbledore seemed to confirm since as soon as Arabella was seated he began to address them.

"I'm sorry for the short notice of this meeting." The Headmaster said. "But it appears the time for your departure is finally here."

Arabella pulled up slightly in her chair. "What? Today?" She asked quickly.

Voldemort leaned forward slightly in his own chair as he turned to her. "Not 'today'." He answered. "Now."

Orion stopped her before she could go any further. "What do you mean, 'now'. What is so important about right now?"

"If you will step outside, Mr. Black, you'll see."

Moving out to the castle's lawn, Orion looked over the area around the castle, doing a full 360 degree turn as he tried to find any changes. But as far as he could tell, the general lawn area, the lake, the forest, the gates, and even the castle itself were all just as before. He took another quick, but careful, survey of the area before turning back to Voldemort.

"Enlighten me." He said. "Because as far as I can tell, not so much as a blade of grass has changed significantly."

Voldemort gave him a small, condescending smile. "And what did you expect, Mr. Black?" the dark wizard ask. "A sign in the heavens?"

"Since you seem less than willing to share what you know, I really don't have any idea of what to look for, do I?"

Voldemort sighed quietly as he looked around the area. "Nothing so grand as what you're thinking, Mr. Black, I assure you." Voldemort turned his attention to Harry. "What do you feel?" He ask the teenager.

Harry hadn't said so much as a word since arriving at Hogwart's. His own attention had been distracted by a feeling that had settled on him as soon as the portkey had dropped them on the front lawn only a short while ago.

"It's like I'm being pulled somewhere." Harry answered, looking off towards the forest. "Like I'm suppose to be going somewhere."

Voldemort turned back to Orion. "The pull Harry feels is from the spell placed on him as the wizard's secretkeeper."

"Why hasn't he felt this before?"

"Because he wasn't able to." Voldemort answered in a tone that suggested those few words should be all that was necessary to answer the question.

"You give 'vague' a whole new meaning." Orion replied in an irritated tone. "Would you care to expand on that for those of us not privy to all your information?"

Voldemort sighed as he looked around, then settled his gaze back on the younger wizard. "Harry is the wizard's secretkeeper, although he had no knowledge of that until he was told. It was the ultimate protection the man could have devised. Having a secretkeeper who didn't know he was one. However, he couldn't get around everything a secretkeeper is. One point being that Harry has within himself the latent ability to find this wizard. All that was necessary was to find a way to tap into it."

"And that was?"

"A spell, similar to a four point spell, placed on the secretkeeper, turns them into a sort of homing beacon."

Arabella immediately turned to face the man. "You placed a spell on Harry? Without telling anyone?"

"Time was limited." Voldemort explained.

Arabella wasn't buying that one bit. "'Oh, by the way, I need to place a spell on your godson'. That took what? All of five seconds?"

Voldemort frowned at her. "Knowing you, my dear woman, it would have turned into an hour long argument. This way, it is done matter and we can move forward."

"I thought you had said we were waiting for something to happen?" Orion put in. "Or was that all just cover for you until you finished this spell?"

"What we were waiting for, Mr. Black," Voldemort replied, "was for the spell to be finished. And I wasn't the one originating that."

Arabella pulled the man around to face her. "Someone else placed this spell on my godson?" She seethed at him.

Voldemort pulled free of her grasp with no great ease. "Of course not. The spell was worked on by one of my Deatheaters. One of my Elite Deatheaters, if it makes you feel any better."

"Peachy." Arabella replied in a solid tone from between her teeth.

"We needed to wait until he finished it. Nothing could be done until the spell was in place. Without it, Harry would have no idea how to proceed. As it is, nothing in this world could stop Harry from finding this wizard now." Voldemort turned back to the teenager standing next to him. "All right, Harry," Voldemort instructed him, "all you have to do is allow the spell to draw you. Just tell us where you feel we should go."

If Voldemort had expected Harry to take off like a bloodhound on a scent, he was seriously disappointed.

Instead of heading off in any direction Harry simply stood staring back at the older wizard.

"Well?" Voldemort asked finally.

Harry studied the man for a moment. "We're not leaving yet." He stated finally.

Voldemort's eyebrows drew together in a frown. "What do you mean? Why not?"

"Because we're not all here." Harry replied.

Voldemort considered the information. "Well, Mr. Black's problems with his mental state are his own. Now I suggest you get on with it. Which direction?"

"If we're leaving," Harry reiterated, "Professor Lupin needs to be here."

Voldemort's eyebrows flew back up. "The werewolf? Harry, we don't need a send off party. Now, just let the spell draw you in the correct direction."

Harry stood his ground. "Professor Lupin isn't a send off party. He's going with us." Harry announced.

Voldemort stood in absolute silence for several seconds before folding his arms across his chest. "Remus Lupin is not going on this journey, Harry." He stated firmly. "Now get on with your work."

The teenager remained where he was. "Then neither am I."

Orion felt sure that his brother had his hands full holding the older wizard in check at that moment.

"What do you mean, 'neither are you?'" He stated, his face turning a bright red color as he glared down at the boy. "What nonsense is this!?"

Harry had prepared himself to face anything he could think Voldemort could throw at him. And the top of his list was the man doing exactly what he was doing. Getting angry.

Voldemort hated his plans being upset. Especially when there was nothing he could do about it. And if Katlin was right, there was absolutely not one thing he could do to force Harry in this matter. And Harry hoped with everything in him that she was very right.

"If Professor Lupin doesn't go with us, then we're not leaving." Harry replied, staring down the older wizard. "I won't lead you anywhere if he doesn't come with us."

"You are pressing my patients." The voice answering him was as cold as Harry ever remembered it being.

Orion quickly placed himself between Voldemort and Harry. "Harry has made his position clear enough." He stated. "What's your answer?"

Voldemort lifted his eyes to meet the Unspeakable's stare. For several silent moments he simply stared at the man. "Fine." He finally answered in a short, heated tone. "But if the werewolf comes so does the woman."

Orion wondered when Voldemort was going to get to that. Just the same, he only turned to Harry, but said nothing.

"Well, Mr. Potter?" Voldemort stated, glaring down at the boy. "Those are my terms. The werewolf goes, so does your godmother."

Before Harry could answer, Arabella stepped in front of him. "It's all right, Harry." She stated, her eyes pleading with him to agree with Voldemort's demand. "It's better if I go, yes? We can both look out after each other." She added with a slight nod to him.

Harry looked up at her for a few seconds, then turned to Orion, who also gave him a short nod of agreement. Finally the teenager turned to the older wizard. "All right." He stated. "Professor Lupin and Arabella go with us." A small smile crept across his lips. "But Orion has to go too."

Much to Harry's surprise, not only didn't the dark wizard flare up in his anger again, he hardly made any move at all. But a deceptively calm voice asked him, "And the need for Mr. Black's presence would be...?"

Harry only smiled up at the man. "To look after Arabella, who you've insisted comes with us."

Orion smiled at the boy's reasoning. Voldemort adding Arabella to the list was an unexpected complication, but not one he couldn't deal with. An accomplished Auror herself, he felt he would hardly have to worry about dividing his time between protecting Harry and her. Arabella would, in fact, be a valuable asset in that area, allowing him more time to keep a closer watch on Voldemort, knowing Harry was also being watched over by her.

Orion smiled slightly at the thought, wondering if Voldemort had considered Arabella's status when he insisted she go along.

Slowly he turned his stare back to the dark wizard. "Well?" He ask in a slow, calm voice.

The older man met his stare again. "Fine." He replied through clinched teeth. "What do I care how many of his friends the boy wants to see get killed? It makes no difference to me."

A half hour later they stood again on the castle lawn, this time with Lupin standing next to Arabella, having had her explain the change of plans to him.

"All right, Harry." Voldemort began again. "What direction?"

Harry didn't miss for one second the change in the man's attitude towards him. He found it, in fact, somewhat amusing. Voldemort was acting exactly like what Katlin's information had suggested he would. Like a spoilt child who hadn't gotten his way, and now he was, for all intents and purposes, sulking.

Harry looked around them, sensing where the draw was coming from the strongest. Finally he pointed in one direction. "There." He stated. "I feel the draw coming from there."

The group turned as Harry directed their attention towards the forest behind the castle.

Orion didn't like the idea of the group having to start their journey with a trip through the forbidden forest. "Why aren't we taking brooms?" He ask. "Wouldn't it be faster to simply fly there?"

Voldemort had already started off in the direction Harry had indicated. "Because the boy needs to stay in contact with the ground for the spell to work." He explained as he stopped to turn back to them. "He wouldn't be able to feel the pull in the air."

Orion pulled his wand out and in a fraction of a second, Harry found himself suspended a few feet off the ground before he even knew what had happened.

"Well?" Orion ask, turning to the teenager as he fought for some equilibrium.

Harry paused in his struggle for a moment, then shook his head. "He's telling the truth." He replied. "I don't feel anything now."

Orion lowered Harry back to the ground as Voldemort shook his head at them. "Honestly, Mr. Black." He tsked at the younger man. "Where is that infamous trust your Headmaster was so adamant we needed to have?"

Little more was said as the group started off. To Orion's relief, Harry's lead kept them just on the outskirts of the forest itself. They traveled along for several miles until they came to the back edge of the forest which opened into a large, flat field that stretched on for several more miles.

But as the group started out across the field, Harry remained at the forest's edge.

Orion stopped and turned back to him. "Come on, Harry," he stated. "your the guest of honor, after all."

Harry didn't make a move to follow them.

Voldemort was the first one to turn around and head back to where the teenager was standing. "What's wrong?" He ask, staring back at the boy who looked for all the world like he'd rather do anything else ask of him rather than answer that particular question.

"Well?" Voldemort ask again.

"The pull has gotten a lot stronger." Harry replied quietly.

Voldemort kept his gaze fixed on the boy's eyes. "From what direction?" He ask.

Harry slowly raised his arm, pointing back the way they had just come.

Orion had joined them now. "What's wrong?"

Harry looked up at his uncle. "We must have gone too far." He replied in a slightly stronger voice. "The pull...is coming from behind us now."

Orion's brows knitted together. "What?"

Harry pointed again. "The pull is coming from there?"

Orion turned to the older wizard. "It appears to me your wizard is up to playing some very irritating games." He stated.

But Voldemort shook his head. "This is no game." He replied, his gaze still never leaving Harry.

Harry turned his attention back to the older wizard. "You were expecting this." He stated, suddenly understanding Voldemort's lack of surprise at the turn of events.

"In part." The man admitted. "In part, Mr. Black is right. The wizard is playing a game with us. But it one that has a purpose for him."

Orion frowned at him. "What purpose?"

"In order to find that out," Voldemort replied, "we'll have to play the game."

Sighing quietly, Orion stared down at the teenager, then finally nodded to him. "All right, Harry." He said. "Where do we go?"

Harry pointed back behind them.

Sighing again, Orion let Voldemort take the lead, followed by Arabella and Lupin, with himself bringing up the rear.

In the space of only a few steps, the group suddenly disappeared.

**(------------------------------------------)**

**(PLEASE SEE CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE PART B.)**


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: I swear, I have given up trying to understand exactly what file size they want here.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE PART B: I'M JUST DOING MY JOB**

Treaks stood in a large open room, facing a huge dais where a man clothed in long, dark robes stood. For all the times he had stood here, he had yet to see the man's face. A tactic he was sure was carefully arranged.

"Well?" The man's voice filled the room, echoing off the walls as he stared down at the Elite Deatheater before him.

"I did all you ask." Treaks answered, fighting to keep his voice steady. "I prepared the spell exactly as you told me and only gave it to Voldemort this morning."

"And he did not question it?"

Treaks shook his head. "No, my lord. He was very pleased with it."

"And he placed it on the boy?"

"Yes, my lord."

"You did well, Treaks."

Treaks executed a small bow. "My reward is to serve you, my lord."

"Then return to your duties. I am done with you."

Treaks paused, causing the figure to raise its hooded head to him.

"You have more?" He ask.

Treaks paused, debating again the wisdom of his next words. "The other one who serves you, my lord, Charly Miser, would bare watching."

The figure stood silently looking down at him, but said nothing in reply.

"His partner is now on this journey, my lord. And Misser has already shown where his true loyalties lay. He has once before tried..."

Treaks stopped and looked around him as the air in the room positively vibrated with the power passing through it. When Treaks looked back up at the dais, a woman now stood next to the figure in the dark robes. She wasn't very old that he could tell. Little more than in her mid-twenties, if even that.

"You're concern is not Charly Misser nor his loyalties, Mr. Treaks." She stated in a deceptively well cultured, if not casual, voice. "You're only concern is to serve. Was that not made clear to you before?"

Treaks couldn't recall having ever seen the woman before. Always he had dealt only with the figure in the dark robes. But as that she stood on the dais with his master, he figured she had to yield some sort of power within his rule and he would do well to show her respect...for now.

"I regret my oversight." He stated with another bow. "I only sought to warn our master..."

"You have been dismissed." The woman stated in a firmer, higher tone. "Now leave."

Treaks quickly snapped his mouth shut and bowed once more before beating a hasty retreat. If he had learned one thing about the figure in the dark robes, it was that patience was definitely not his long suit. A trait his new female companion obviously shared.

'Just as well', he thought. After all, why should he waste his time warning them about Misser's potential for disloyalty when such an act would only serve his own purposes?

Leaving the room, Treaks apparated back to the lair as soon as he was able, glad just to be out of the man's presence.

**Q&A**

Skahducky:

**Can Bo apparate people away like he did to Orion in a previous chapter? In that case, he'll probably be very useful on this trip since he could apparate Harry and the others out of any trouble they'll run into.  
I guess Harry's fears are going to be assuaged in the morning once he finds out Arabella is coming as well. If he can convince Voldemort to let Professor Lupin come along, then he'll probably never have to be alone with Voldemort. He might even have some fun on the trip; well, the relatively peaceful parts of it.  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

Well, as you'll recall in several previous chapters, Bo can apparate people whenever he likes. Just ask Voldemort.

However, remember, Bo, so far, does very little on his own. His actions are usually answers to Orion's orders or general requests. So, could he apparate them out of trouble if they needed him to? That would depend currently on Orion.

Harry actually did a pretty good job of asserting himself here. And Voldemort made a major blunder by backing down. One that will come back to haunt him in the future.

Thank you, Dear. And I do appreciate the review.

MasterLupin:

**As always you have written a good chapter(s). I now give my new prediction and character analysis for this story; I think that I'm close with this one. **  
**With Harry now aware of this new information I believe that he will make some rather rash decisions later on intending to do well and protect his new found aunt, uncle, and cousins from what he perceives as his fate (loss of parents).   
Harry has been told by Katlin that if he is stubborn enough he can make demands on Voldermort for this upcoming quest to the north. A teenager told to be stubborn, is bad, a teenager with Harry's past and a hero complex who is told to be stubborn to get his way is a recipe for disaster.  
Here is why:  
Harry is a teenage boy who has glimpsed what family he could be apart of. He is not yet apart of this family by legal means, and I think that he doesn't feel he is apart of it(on an unconscious level)until Sirius and Arabella can yet again provide a home for him. He is known for acting irrationally when he perceives a threat to his family, and will go to any length including risking his own life to protect them.  
As Harry stated, he is painfully aware of what it is like to grow up without parents, even now he has a possible adoptive mother and father who can not complete that last step to be his official mom and dad. He now knows that he could render his same fate upon his new found cousins if he slips up. This sets up Harry to do something stupid; I think that out of concern for his new potential family, it will not be Voldermort that pulls a midnight slip on Orion, but rather Harry telling him to do it.  
I think that Harry, out of concern that this mission might kill his cousin's parents, will tell Voldermort that he would be willing to pull a slip on Orion, if they can bring Remus Lupin instead. Which Voldermort would be all too happy to agree to, considering that it would allow him greater chance at killing Harry, when Remus is out of the picture once a month. Orion will somehow find them either by Harry's amulet that contacts Katlin or with Bo.**

Wow! I could have written another whole story based solely on your prediction.

The bad news is, that means most of it has nothing to do with this story.

OK, let see...,

Harry doesn't really need to rely on any newfound sense of control to make what could be perceived as 'rash' decisions. He's pretty much capable of doing that now. Will he get the chance to? That depends. After all, he's got four adults with him now, and two of them are right up for making rash decisions all by themselves as well.

Well, technically, Katlin never told Harry to be 'stubborn'. She told him to hold his ground against Voldemort's demands. (I know. Semantics.) Will this amount to any disaster? Well, that remains to be seen. So far, the group is pretty much just doing what the wizard in the north wants them to do. He can't stop them, so he's doing the next best thing. He's controlling them.

Sorry. No one is doing a runner here. And even if Harry had wanted to, things simply moved too fast for him to get things together quickly enough to even try. He had no idea when they would be leaving any more than anyone else did. So even after talking to Katlin, if he had hoped to have one more day to get his act together, he didn't.

Boy oh boy, you really thought this one out.

OK, true. But Harry is concerned for everyone on this journey. He's not so naive as to think this is going to be some walk in the park. He knows it's dangerous. But he's willing to trust that Orion can take care of himself. And with Arabella now also going, he especially wants the Unspeakable around to look after her.

Without Harry pressing the issue, Voldemort would have rather sucked raw eggs than accepted Remus Lupin as a tag-along. He doesn't like werewolves, and he has a very short tolerance for them. So, nothing short of Harry offering the deal he did, or a winning lottery ticket, would have gotten Voldemort to agree to allow Lupin to come along.

Voldemort may not like Orion, but he really doesn't see him as that great of a threat.

And as for doing him any injury, that is not currently in his plans. For his own reasons, Voldemort very much wants Orion alive, well, and functioning. You see, things are starting to come together in Voldemort's mind as to what is really going on. And the person he feels holds the key to everything is the last person he wants dead. At least until he has learned everything he can from them.

Work with that for a week, Dear. Lot of information in those few sentences.

Just remember, theorize all you want. I love it when you do. And I'm more than willing to tell you when you're wrong. But I'll never tell you when you're right. So, if I don't answer one of your questions, you were right!

All reviews are as of 01/07/2007.

And remember,

Always forgive your enemies.

Nothing annoys them more.


	46. Chapter 46

A/N: Once again I have overshot my file size for download, folks. My apologies for having to give you once again a chapter with a part A and B.

But as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX PART A: BECCA**

Harry looked around where the group stood, surveying their surroundings, which for all intents and purposes hadn't changed.

With one small exception.

The group now stood within what appeared to be a large conduit, which appeared to end some ten feet behind them, but stretched in front of them well past the horizon. Harry stared in awe at the thing that now encased them. To him they could have been easily standing in the center of a Quidditch stadium field. The walls appeared to be some sort of magical barrier, which shimmered in the sunlight as waves of color passed through them. But despite the play of colors over the conduit's walls, it appeared to Harry that only one color got through.

Yellow. Or more, a burnt orange. Everything around him within the conduit now looked as though they had started their journey at sunset rather than early morning. But as he stared past the walls, he noticed that everything outside the conduit retained its natural, vibrant assortment of colors.

Next to him, Orion was also taking stock of their new situation, but in a far more physical way. With his wand already out he had shot off several spells at the walls of the conduit, each one being stopped as it appeared to be harmlessly absorbed by the shimmering walls.

With a frustrated glare, Orion finally turned back to Voldemort.

"And were you expecting this as well?" He ask in a low, tight voice.

For his part, the dark wizard had been standing almost perfectly still, surveying their new surroundings with his eyes. Finally he turned to the man next to him. "No more than you were, Mr. Black." He replied in a flat, emotionless tone. "But it does appear as though we were not unexpected."

"And now?"

"Well, thankfully, as you have already demonstrated, it appears our magic is still intact, although," he added, looking about the conduit again, "I would suspect anyone who can construct something like this would be more than capable of changing that on whim."

"So why leave us with it?"

Voldemort gave the younger man a small, mirthless smile. "Perhaps because it makes the game more interesting to him, Mr. Black."

"You think this is all some 'game' to him?"

Voldemort gave a small frown as he considered the question. "More a 'puzzle'." He replied finally.

"And we're just the pieces he's trying to figure out where they go?"

Voldemort was already walking off to where Lupin and Arabella stood locked in a serious discussion. "More how they all fit together, Mr. Black."

Orion sighed to himself as he followed the older wizard over to where the others stood. But he stopped suddenly when several voices caught his attention. Turning he was only slightly surprised to see his superior heading towards them, trailed by several Unspeakables, one struggling to keep step with him as he walked along side.

"We had him on trace, sir," the agent was frantically explaining as Bale stalked towards the conduit wall, the look on his face clearly expressing that he was none to happy with the current situation. "Everything was perfectly normal, and then... 'poof'... he just disappeared off the scope. All five of them. Just...gone."

Bale stopped short and turned to his agent. "How long have you been a wizard, Jenkins!?" He asked bluntly.

The younger man stopped just short of plowing into his superior. "I...I...well, all...all my life, sir." He stammered a quick reply.

"Then you know all too well by now that things do not just go 'poof'...and disappear. Use your good sense, man." Bale added, then started off again.

The younger wizard looked slightly relieved that no further questions followed and hurried after his boss.

Orion watched the group approach with a mixture of surprise and interest. No more than ten feet away and Bale had yet to so much as look at him or slow his pace. Jumping back several steps, he just managed to avoid what he felt was an eminent collision with his superior, but looked up just in time to see Voldemort standing with his arms crossed over his chest while several of the rest of the group appeared to walk right through him without the least notice on either side.

Orion turned quickly to where his superior was now heading towards the other side of the conduit. "Orin!" He called out in a loud voice.

Bale stopped and Orion was about to say something else when he noted quickly that the man had not turned to face him but to the rest of the group.

"Everyone spread out." He directed. "Scan the area. Look for any magical traces, fields, spell dispersions, anything. Report back when you've finished."

Instantly the group began to fan out, each agent already weaving various spells to try and find what had happened to their fellow agent.

Lupin, Arabella, and Harry quickly joined Orion and Voldemort where they stood.

"Interesting." was Lupin's only comment on the unfolding events, while Arabella was still taking inventory of the events going on around them, but seemingly oblivious to their presence.

"'Amazing', would be my choice." She commented, turning to Voldemort. "Just how much power does this man yield?"

Voldemort looked around them again, then turned back to her. "If my suspicions about him are correct, this is just a small fraction of what he is capable of."

Orion turned to the older wizard. "Care to share any of those 'suspicions'?" He ask.

Voldemort gave him a small smile. "Not just yet, Mr. Black."

Orion turned back to studying the activity around them. "No. I thought not." He murmured.

The group remained where they were as they watched the Unspeakables sweep the area with spells and wards. But each one apparently failed to turn up anything. A fact that was confirmed as each agent reported back to Bale. Finally, when they seem to have exhausted their field work, the group gathered to apparate back to the Ministry. Orion watched as his boss stood for several moments just outside of the conduit wall. staring at the ground, a deep furrow etched in his forehead.

"Come on, Orin." Orion whispered. "You know something isn't right. You said it yourself. People don't just disappear."

"You coming, Sir?" One of the agents called to his boss.

Orin gave a slight wave with his hand as he continued studying the ground.

With a sigh and a shrug, the man stepped back into the group and they immediately disapparated, leaving Bale still staring thoughtfully at the ground.

As soon as the group disapparated, Bale suddenly looked up again. He took several steps away from the conduit's wall before turning back around.

Orion watched his superior's actions with interest. The man acted as though he was looking for something, but just wasn't sure what it was.

Staring at the conduit as though he could see it, Bale pulled out his wand and began to weave a spell in the air. The sheer force of the magic Bale was drawing on surprised Orion, who could feel the waves of it even through the conduit's barrier walls. It wasn't strong. More like a gentle breeze that blows through the air, suddenly disturbing an otherwise perfectly calm day. But Orion reasoned that if the spell's effects were being dampened by the conduit's walls, he could only imagine what they felt like on the other side.

A sudden burst of energy caught Orion's attention and snapped him out of his own thoughts. It hit the conduit's wall like a blast from a cannon, reverberating all along the wall and washing it in a rainbow of colors. Bale stood on the other side, his wand directed straight at the conduit's walls.

Orion stared at the man in amazement. He knew Bale controlled a great deal of very powerful magic, but never anything like the force of this.

The waves continued to pass over the walls of the conduit until they faded like ripples over the surface of a pond. But no more did the last one fade than the blast hit it again. But this time he didn't wait for it to dissipate before he hit the wall again. A total of six separate blasts hit the wall all within seconds of each other. Orion watched as each washed over the walls of the conduit, but appeared not to disrupt so much as a blade of grass within.

Outside Bale, looking as exhausted as though he'd just run a marathon, stood back to survey the damage his spell had caused, A deep frown running across his forehead was all Orion needed to see t know the answer.

"Nothing," He state quietly. "You didn't even dent it, Orin."

"Interesting though." Voldemort stated, stepping up next to him as he watched the head of the Unspeakables turn and walk off a few feet from the conduit.

"What? That he couldn't break through it?" Orion ask, watching as his superior turned one last time to them, then disapparated.

The dark wizard shook his head. "No, Mr. Black. That your leader is such a dark horse in the world of magic. I have seriously underestimated Orin Bale all these years." Voldemort turned to the man next to him. "I won't make that mistake in the future."

Orion watched the man walk off to where Lupin, Arabella and Harry now stood, having back up several feet when Bale had thrown his spell at the wall. He frowned deeply at the comment. Effectually, Orion knew Voldemort had just handed out his own death warrant on his superior. Voldemort now knew just how powerful Bale was, and had labeled him a threat because of it. And the dark lord's way of dealing with threats to his own power were all too well known.

Orion started over to join the group when a brief flash out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, Turning to it, he found he was now facing a small, petite young woman with soft, sleek dark hair that fell nearly to her waist. She was dress in what appeared to be little more than a long tunic of almond colored material with a small rope belt around her slim waist.

"Greetings to you from my lord." She announced. "He welcomes you."

The others had now joined Orion where he stood facing the woman, all of them giving her their own private assessment.

"Who are you?" Orion ask in a short, brisk tone that did not convey one ounce of warmth in it.

The woman's charming smile did not waver even in the smallest way under Orion's blunt question. "My name is Becca. I am the servant of the wizard you are seeking."

Orion was taken slightly aback by the introduction. He had expected the man to do everything he could to stay in the shadows and dissuade them in every way possible from finding him. This approach, to him, amounted to the man doing everything just short of popping out from behind a tree with his hand out.

"Where are we?" Orion ask with all the same warmth as his previous question.

The woman cocked her head slightly to the side as she studied the man before her. "You are at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She replied after a moment's consideration.

Orion gestured to the enormous corridor they stood within. "'What is this', is what I meant." He explained in a curt tone.

Becca looked around them as though she were seeing the corridor for the first time. "This is a corridor." She replied finally, turning back to them, the same quizzical look on her face from the first question Orion had put to her.

Orion was about to press the issue when Voldemort cut him off. "Why are you here?" He ask.

The woman seemed to appreciate the change in subject matter as she greeted his question with another warm smile. "I am here to greet you." She replied in the charming, welcoming tone she had used before.

She appeared about to go on with her speech when Voldemort cut her off just as effectively. "Greet us?" He stated sharply. "Your master doesn't even know us."

The woman appeared to frown at his tone. "My master knows you all too well, Lord Voldemort, Leader of the Deatheaters. But his interest in you in minimal."

Orion almost laughed at the expression the woman's words brought to the dark lord's face. But he quickly pressed on with his own questions. "What about the rest of us?"

The woman turned her attention smoothly over to him. "You are Orion Black, agent to Orin Bale, the leader of the Unspeakables, whose actions my master did not approve of."

"I'll be sure to let him know." Orion replied.

The woman dismissed his comment as she turned to the others. "And you are Arabella Figg, Auror, Remus Lupin, Professor at Hogwart's, and you,..." she added as she turned to Harry, her smile softening into one of apparent genuine affection. "...you are Harry Potter. My master welcomes you most of all, Harry. He is very pleased to have finally met you."

"Finally?" Voldemort stated under his breath, casting a quick glance at Orion, who picked up on the phrase as soon as the man next to him.

The woman turned to them, and Orion realized he had to distract her from her slip quickly.

"Aside from this lovely welcoming party," he stated, "what else does your illustrious master want?"

The trick seemed to have worked as he hoped as the woman's expression turned serious. "He has sent me to warn you off this journey. Great danger awaits you if you continue, and my master does not wish harm on any of you." Her warm smile returned as she faced the one person in the group again who seemed to have already won her favor. "Especially the young Mr. Potter." But the smile disappeared just as quickly as she cast her glance over the rest of the group. "Say so now, and he will return you to safety."

Voldemort quickly elected himself spokesman for the group. "Your illustrious master can..."

The woman cut him off with a finger pointed directly at him. "My master does not wish to hear from you." She stated in a tone that verged on anger. "In fact," she added with a smile, "he has heard quite enough from you, Lord Voldemort."

From out of the air a long piece of cloth materialized and immediately made a path for Voldemort, wrapping itself tightly about his mouth and neck.

"My master wishes only to hear Mr. Potter's response." She stated, ignoring the man in front of her who struggled to pull the cloth off of himself.

Harry stared up at the woman. "We're going on." He stated simply.

The woman didn't appear the least bit offended by his bluntness. Instead she walked over until she stood directly in front of him. Arabella quickly took up her own position behind her godson, her hands resting protectively over his shoulders.

"Be reasonable, Harry." the woman replied in a soft, pleading voice. "The pathway you are on is wrought with dangers you can not imagine. My master wishes you no ill. He realizes you have been led astray by others. And they will pay for misdirecting you for their own means. But he knows you are innocent of any real wrong doing and he wishes to show good faith by allowing you this opportunity to correct your judgment."

Harry stared up at the woman. She talked about him and her master as thought they knew each other. As if they had for years.

Or more accurately, as though the wizard had been watching him all these years. A feeling that didn't leave Harry any to happy. Just one more person watching from the outside while he lived a life few could have tolerated, and did nothing to intervene.

"We're going on." He state resolutely.

A look of pure disappointment etched itself across the woman's face. One that slowly faded into anger.

"You have made a very foolish choice." She stated firmly, all the softness and warmth gone now. "My master offered you a chance to correct this mistake, and you have thrown it back in his face with insult. Very well. The choice was yours and so have you made it, Mr. Potter." She straighten back up and looked over the rest of the group. "Continue as you may." She announced. "But be well advised that my master will not make this offer again."

The woman disappeared as quickly as she had appeared. But she didn't leave them alone when she departed. As soon as the woman vanished, several dark robed additions took her place before the group.

**(PLEASE SEE CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX PART B)**


	47. Chapter 47

A/N: Oh! You found it! Good!

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX PART B: INTRODUCTIONS **

"So now we meet the real welcoming party." Voldemort commented to the man beside him.

Orion quickly turned to several more popping noises behind them, only to see a dozen more of the robed figures appear.

"And it seems he sent out plenty of invitations." Orion replied. "You take the front, I'll take the rear. Arabella and Lupin will guard Harry."

Orion wasn't the least bit surprised how quickly Voldemort went on the attack. 'Defense' simply wasn't part of the man's vocabulary, it seemed. You were either attacking or attacking harder with him. There was no other battle tactic he seemed particularly interested in.

Satisfied Voldemort would take care of the front line of attack, Orion quickly established himself to guard the rear.

"All right, Bo." He whispered, pulling out his wand, "let's show the blighters what they're really up against."

Drawing on the 'Power', Orion set about doing just that. In the time he and Voldemort had set up their own plan of attack, several dozen more of the wizards people had joined their comrades and where quickly falling into their own attack strategy.

If Harry had thought Voldemort had shown amazingly fast attack skills during their lessons, it appeared as nothing next to his uncle's own level of skill. Harry could hardly even follow the speed of Orion's attack. It seemed half the robed attackers were already on the ground and the other half fighting to stay off of it by the time he caught up to the action. His own wand out and keen to help defend the group, Harry found himself being actively deterred by his godmother, who kept a hand wrapped tightly around his wrist.

"Don't interfere." She stated. "This is what Orion is trained for, Harry. But he needs to know that you're safe with Lupin and me."

Harry didn't much like the order, but he could also see the point of it. Indeed, Orion appeared to fight with a single-minded concentration to what seemed like the exclusion of everything else around him. And just as before, when he had watched the Unspeakables fighting off the Deatheaters in the field when they had attacked he, Arabella, and Sirius, Harry almost began to feel sorry for the wizards people. Even against only two, they were fighting hard just to hold their own and appeared to constantly be calling up reinforcements as their numbers were cut down over and over again by the two men they were facing.

But in a single instant the tide appeared on the verge of changing. A spell cut by Voldemort, just missing him as he dodged out of the way.

"Black!"

The warning came a second too late as the spell caught Orion in the side. With a cry that was more irritation than pain, Orion fell to his knees, tightly holding onto his left side. But as the man went down, a second figure seemed to take his place. One Harry knew all too well as he backed slightly into his godmother.

"Why is Bo here?" He ask in barely a whisper.

Even if they had heard him, no one would have had time to answer. The boggart gave one anguished cry as it knelt over its fallen friend, wrapping it's robes about the body.

For those few brief moments, even the wizard's people seemed unsure of what to do. But they didn't have a lot of time to ponder their next move either. With a sound that to Harry resembled a large dog snarling at an opponent, the boggart got back to its feet and launched itself at the attackers, the body that had been laying at its feet now vanished.

As though a single entity, the wizard's people drew back from this new opponent, several managing to take a few steps in retreat before the others. These seemed to be the ones the boggart focused on first. Within seconds pandemonium broke out among the remaining attackers as they tried to flee to safety. Harry watched as without so much as the preamble of the flash of a spell being fired off, the bodies of the wizard's people began to collapse to the ground, and within the space of a few seconds, the fight was over.

No one in the small group moved until the boggart suddenly appeared back before them, Orion's body now held in its arms as it seemed to survey the four people before it. A low, sad thrill came from it as it concentrated its attention on Harry and nudged the body in its arms towards him.

Voldemort was the first person to react, raising his wand, which immediately got the boggart's attention shifted to him as he pulled his channeler's body back against him.

Harry quickly grabbed Voldemort's wand and pulled it back down. "No!" He cried. "Don't attack him. That'll just make things worse."

Before anyone else could decide what to do, Orion stirred in Bo's arms, a hand rising slowly to rub his forehead.

"Son of a..." Orion opened his eyes and, rapidly assessing the scene, turned back to the boggart still holding him in its arms. "Bo. Put me down." He stated as firmly as he could manage.

The boggart thrilled softly at him.

"I'm fine. Just a really nasty bitc...a really bad headache. Put me down."

With as much solicitation as possible, Bo slowly lowered Orion to his feet, keeping so little space between them even as the Unspeakable regained his feet that you likely couldn't have slid a piece of paper between them.

"Will you lay off." Orion stated a bit firmer this time, waving the boggart back. "I'm fine. It wasn't anything serious."

"Your friend seems to disagree."

Orion turned to find Voldemort watching the scene unfold with more interest than the Unspeakable was comfortable with.

"Well, the last time I checked, he lacked a medical degree."

"Possibly." The dark wizard replied. "But perhaps his talents lie elsewhere. Perhaps your Mr. Bale would like to consider recruiting him, since he seems to know how to fight."

"Bo doesn't fight." Orion snapped back a bit stronger than he knew he should have. "He defends. And that's all he was doing."

"Those on the receiving end of his 'defense' might not agree with that assessment. I have Deatheaters that don't fight as well as your friend."

"And I have a thirteen year old who fights better than your Deatheaters. What does that prove?"

Voldemort frowned back at him and broke off any further discussion on the matter, which is exactly what Orion wanted him to do. The dark lord was asking far to many questions and was making way too many assumptions for his liking.

A flurry of gestures next to him drew Orion's attention.

"Yes, you did very well." Orion replied, smiling at Bo. "They sure didn't care for facing you, did they?"

The boggart thrilled softly, then launched into a new flurry of excited gestures.

"Doesn't he talk?" Voldemort ask, again turning to observe the exchange between Orion and the dark robed creature before him.

"Do you know many boggarts that do?" Orion answered. His attention divided between trying to interpret Bo's excited gesturing, Voldemort's question, and the pain still coursing through every cell in his body, Orion bit the words back a second too late.

But Voldemort's expression, while previously one of fading interest, sparked to a new life at the information.

"A boggart?!" He questioned, staring at the creature who had now stopped its gesturing and stared back at him. "This creature is a boggart?!"

Orion quickly stepped in front of his friend. "Bo is more of a family pet. He's been with my family for years and we tend to think of him just as a member of the family now." He replied with the standard answer the family had always given to explain Bo to anyone who came across him, accidentally or otherwise.

Orion didn't care one bit for the way Voldemort was staring at Bo, as though trying to assess something just on his appearance and action. The best thing, he figured, was to get Bo away from Voldemort as soon as possible.

"All right, Bo. Time to go." Orion stated, trying to keep things as vague as possible while he tried to sort out exactly where to send Bo for the time being. Or if he could even send him anywhere past the conduit's walls.

"Where has he been exactly?" Came the question Orion had been trying to avoid the most.

Turning to the dark lord, Orion regarded him without answering.

"He didn't come with us." Voldemort observed casually, as though sorting through a puzzle in his mind. "But he showed up the moment you were injured. Interesting, that your 'family pet' has such a keen sense of intuition as to when he is needed."

"Bo is very sensitive." Orion replied. "And as that he was one of my closest friends growing up, he's very highly tuned to me."

"And where does he go now?"

Orion was starting to lose sight of daylight from the bottom of the hole he was currently standing in. Problem was, no matter what he did, it was going to get deeper in about three seconds.

He didn't want to have to explain to Voldemort that Bo was, in fact, traveling with him. But nor could he leave Bo out in the open on his own. He was already distracted enough watching after Harry and trying to keep an eye on Voldemort. The last thing he needed was to have to look after a hyperactive three year old as well.

"He's going back where he was." Orion started firmly, seeing no other way to explain where Bo had been. A question he was sure was coming nonetheless.

"Which is?"

Bingo! Some people were just so predictable.

Orion gave the man a mirthless smile over his shoulder as he turned to the boggart who stood waiting patiently to see what his channeler want to do.

"Come on, Bo." Orion stated. "Time to leave."

Instantly the boggart leapt forward like an overeager black mastiff greeting its owner at the end of a long day apart. But just before one would expect to see the mass of black robes collide into the man before it, it swung gracefully back up into the air before him and, as gently as a swath of silk, wrapped itself about his body and disappeared.

Orion turned back to the man who was regarding him with a look of both curiosity and surprise.

"Bo stays with me." Orion stated without the slightest hint of any expression visible in his features or his voice. Turning back to the others, he set his gaze on Harry. "Which way then, Harry?"

Without a word, Harry pointed back towards the gates of the castle.

"All right then." Orion said. "Lets go see what other surprises our host has waiting for us."

**Q&A**

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome chapters! They were great. By the way have I told you how much I love your little saying at the very end everytime? Because they are great! **

Well, thank you, Dear. I was actually beginning to wonder if anyone ever even saw those. Nice to know at least person finds them.

MasterLupin:

**Well that was an interesting and revealing chapter, looks like Orion can be expecting some backstab from his partner in the near future. Oh well for my predictions, I thought I had a good one there.**

How much backstabbing there will be remains to be seen. Remember though, Charly is still very loyal to his best friend. He is not in this to hurt Orion or for any self gain. His sole goal, unlike Treaks, is to keep Orion alive.

Dear, that was, without a doubt, one of the best thought out theories to date. I have no doubt some serious time went into that one. And I would have loved to have incorporated some of it into the story. Problem is, the story line is already laid out and deviating from it, due to how carefully everything has to fit together, would make a lot of trouble for me and a lot of confusion for my readers.

You still worry me though. Every time I see a theory from you I think 'is the one where MasterLupin finally outguesses me'?

You keep me on my toes, no doubt about it.

Skahducy:

**So...basically Voldemort asked Treaks to make this spell, but Treaks is loyal to the wizard in the north. Does that mean the spell may not even lead to the wizard in the north in the end? Does the wizard have control over which direction Harry feels pulled in? Please update soon!**

You know, I'm going to be really nice here and lay this out for you because you're so darned close anyway. Problem is, you've got a lot of 'right' mixed in with a lot of 'wrong'. And trying to redirect you in the points where you go off track would take a lot more time than just giving you the whole layout of this situation straight out.

So here it is;

Voldemort did ask Treaks to come up with a spell that would allow Harry to basically act as a four-point spell to the wizard in the north since he is, in fact, the wizard's secretkeeper. However, the spell Treaks gave Voldemort was carefully constructed by the wizard himself to do what he wanted it to do.

Now. spells, in my opinion (that would be the world according to PAR, folks) are funny things. You can only make a spell do so much. The rest you have to adept your circumstances to to make it work for you.

In the wizard in the North's case, he constructed a spell that would indeed lead Harry to him. No deception there. However, he also now has control of 1) when they leave, 2) what path they take, and 3) everything that will happen to them along the way.

The whole point here is that the wizard in the North is by no means going to be surprised by anyone showing up on his doorstep. He knows exactly where the group is and what they are up to as long as they are in the conduit he constructed.

But mind you, Orion, Voldemort, and the rest aren't naive either. They are well aware they are likely being watched very carefully and know full well this won't be a surprise attack.

Oh, and by the way, 'Treaks is loyal to the wizard in the North'? Don't you believe it, babycakes.

Silverfox:

**Gr first forgets to send out its alerts, then it messes up the order. ... Gah! Suddenly I'm very worried of what might happen to Bo if Voldemort finds out about him. Either he or Sirius are going to need a new body sometime and Bo's might look like an easy and very useful, especially if Voldemort is not aware of the srings attatched to Bo's abilities. ... Of course Waldi posessing Bo would hava a lot of poptential for embarassment. ...**  
**That story was called Does He Have A Heart by Eloria. A Neville/Draco slash fic, but not at all what you'd expect from that description. It really dealt with homosexuality and rape, which is why it needed the NC 17 rating. Definitely not something I'd want a child exposed to, no, but all those idiots casually writing about rape should read it. I've looked on every site I could find and ever tried a few search engines. I think she just gave it up.**

FFN has been a bit on the strange side lately. First off, I don't understand why anyone would configure their own server to delete any reference to themselves. It doesn't matter how you refer to the site or its keepers (FFN, ffn, or just fanfiction), the server deletes it out of the text (usually).

Well, you can stop worrying, Dear. Because Voldemort now knows about our favorite boggart. Or at least that he exists. Stay tuned to later chapters as he starts putting more and more pieces together as he sees exactly what Orion's 'family pet' is capable of.

Ummmm..., interesting thought. And Voldemort may not necessarily need a new body. That has yet to be determined. Now, even I sometimes forget that Bo's link to the Black family isn't strictly genetic. remember that one of Orion's concerns with Sirius adopting Harry was that Bo would see the boy as a potential host as Sirius' 'son'. Also, Talon was able to get the 'Power' into the boggart in the first place simply by allying it with the family. So apparently all anyone in the family has to do is acknowledge someone as a member of the family to make them a potential 'target' for Bo. (I hate to use that word, but I don't have a better one right now.)

Why would Voldemort care about the strings attached to Bo's abilities? He's already crazy as a June bug without Sirius' influence.

Voldemort possessing Bo has a lot of potential for DISASTER, Dear. Think of Voldemort in possession of a force that is basically pure magic without limitations or conscience. And along those lines I am sure Voldemort would see Bo as very easy and useful.

However, the likelihood of that happening is not very great. Remember that the 'Power' can only have one host at a time. And while Orion is a channeler for the 'power', his father is its current host. Something Voldemort is not likely to find out any time soon.

Actually, Dear, homosexuality and rape is exactly what I would have expected that story to deal with, since that is what all pairings of those two characters tend to deal with.

All reviews are as of 01/13/2007.

And remember;

Scrabble. It's your word against mine.


	48. Chapter 48

A/N: Life is boring right now. Thankfully, nothing much happening.

For those of you who might question the title of this chapter, feeling that the last chapter was the group's first encounter with the wizard, that isn't so. In the last chapter they were pitted against the wizards followers. This time they are up against the man himself.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: THE FIRST ENCOUNTER**

If Orion had thought that the wizard would keep them waiting he would have been sadly mistaken. No more than a half hour's walk past when they left the gates of the castle, the group found themselves once again facing the same young woman who they had met earlier.

"Becca!" Orion greeted her with a wide smile. "Great magic! It's been what? A whole half hour? Where has the time gone?!"

The statement met with a solid frown as the woman turned briefly to face him, then back to the group. "My master is being quite generous and has sent me once again to make his offer to you." She stated as empirically as ever. "Go back now and no further harm will come to you."

Voldemort laughed at the woman. "Your master calls that being generous? To offer us a safe escape when we just soundly throttled his followers in a fight where we were seriously outnumbered? How truly magnanimous of him."

"You would do well to heed his offer." Becca stated firmly. "Go back now!"

"Your master can take his offer and..."

The woman pointed a finger at Voldemort. "You will be silent!"

Voldemort's statement stopped just where the woman had cut him off. With a hand to his throat he struggled to make any words, but the only sound that came out was a strangled rasping sound.

The woman focused her attention on Harry as she quickly knelt in front of him. "Harry, please, listen to me. My master wishes you no harm. He knows you are being led by others. That they have told you lies to gain your cooperation. He is willing to forgive all of this, but only if you turn back now. Please."

"Why is he so eager for me not to go on?" Harry ask calmly.

"Because he knows the dangers that await you. He can not allow you to continue on this journey. If you do, you will leave him no choice. He will stop you if he has to."

"And why is he so opposed to my finding him?"

"Because he knows that those traveling with you are bent on finding him only to do him harm. He has a right to protect himself, Harry."

"Is that what he's been doing by killing other witches and wizards?" The teenager ask bluntly. "Protecting himself?"

"Harry," the woman pleaded in the same fanatical voice, "please do not let others guide you for their own goals. Don't let them mislead you with their lies and these fabricated stories of things my master has done. The others care nothing for the danger you are in. Turn back now and my master will overlook all that has happened. No one will be harmed."

"Least of all your master." Orion stated.

The woman stared up at him, then slowly got to her feet, her gaze never leaving the Unspeakable. "You think you have the power to defeat my master, but you are wrong."

"I seem to be doing well so far." Orion replied with a pleased smile. "Now, has your master thought up any new games? Because that last one was a bit boring."

Becca gave the man a positively nasty smile. "You want games, Mr. Black? Then why don't we try this one?"

Before Orion could even react, the woman reached forward and lightly touched the tip of her finger to his neck, then instantly disappeared.

For a few seconds, Orion couldn't discern anything different. But suddenly he reached up and felt a small, thin band now encircling his neck. As he ran his hand over it, Arabella came rushing forward, running her hands over the band as she searched for a clasp.

"It looks solid." She stated. "So the question is, what is it for?"

Orion stood silently for a few seconds before stepping away from her. "I know what it's for." He replied placidly.

Arabella hurried after him. "Well, would you care..." But she stopped abruptly both in her statement and in her movement as she ran into something in front of her.

Orion just managed to grabbed her arm to keep her on her feet as he pulled to a stop just in front of the barrier. Quickly Arabella turned and face the invisible wall Orion was already examining as he ran his hand over it.

Voldemort joined them, soon followed by Lupin and Harry.

"Now what?" The older wizard ask, rubbing a hand over his throat as he watched Orion's examination of the wall.

Orion turned briefly to him, then back to the barrier before him. "Well, it would appear this wizard is done with his game with you. But it would also appear we now have a new one." He replied.

"Well, it's a stupid one at best." Voldemort answered. Pulling out his wand, he directed a spell at the wall. But as soon as it hit, the spell was absorbed, without so much as a flash of light or any sound.

Orion stood several minutes watching as Voldemort alternated between studying the wall and trying various spells against it. Each meeting the same end.

"Well, now," Orion stated as a small smile played across his lips, "not quite up to things, are we, Voldemort?"

The older wizard frowned at him, then turned back to the invisible wall again with his wand. He tried again, and three more times after that, all with the same results.

"Have you thought of up?" Orion asked as Voldemort stood staring at the invisible blockade before him, tapping his chin with his wand.

Without looking, Voldemort turned his wand to the sky and shot a blast of purple light straight up. It hit the same invisible force ten feet up and dissipated as the other attempts had.

"Satisfied?" Voldemort ask, still not turning his attention from the invisible wall before him.

"You don't seem surprised."

"I'm not."

"Really?"

Voldemort turned a slightly sideways look at Orion. "Haven't you noticed?" He asked almost casually. "The air is getting thinner."

Orion looked about them, then turned back to the other man.

"The trap wasn't meant to just stop us, Black. And if you knew anything at all about this wizard, you'd have known that."

"Known?"

"We're not just facing an invisible wall. We're standing in a box." To demonstrate his point, Voldemort turned his wand on each side in turn, blasting it with the same purple light. The result was the same as it had always been. "A trap we can't escape, and with no way to let air in." He turned the same sideways glance at Orion. "One could almost admire the man's ingenuity."

"While one was dieing?"

"Well, think about it, Black." Voldemort went on as though the whole situation was nothing more to him than an interesting puzzle as he stared back at the invisible barrier before him again. "The muggles come, and what will they find? Five people dead with no explanation."

"You seem to be facing your death rather calmly." Orion observed.

"Because panicking accomplishes nothing. Besides, we are far from out of options."

From where she stood, Arabella listened to her godson already breathing harder. Even she could feel the growing lack of oxygen as she took a slow, steady breath.

"Then perhaps you should bloody well get on with it!" She stated, trying not to let her anger get the better of her.

Voldemort turned to her, then again pointed his wand at the wall before him.

"We'll try all five of us hitting the walls simultaneously. That may weaken them."

Each of them took up a position to face one of the four walls and the ceiling. On Voldemort's signal, they each hit the wall before them with the same spell. But the effect was much the same as with a single spell.

Voldemort tried the technique in several different variations. He tried using different spells, attacking different areas of the walls, and even kicking it once in frustration.

By the time they had seemed to go through most of his ideas, even Voldemort was showing signs of the effects of the lack of air in the trap.

"All right." He said, panting slightly for air. "We haven't tried all together against one wall. That might do it."

Orion stepped up next to him. "We're not going to have many options left or time to try them out if this fails." He stated darkly.

"Just keep your mind about you, Mr. Black." Voldemort replied in a level tone. "We may need you yet."

Not bothering with what the dark wizard meant, Orion waited for Arabella, Lupin, and Harry to join him at his side.

"Now," Voldemort stated, "all together."

Five blasts of light hit the wall. Although this time they didn't just dissipate. They hit the wall, crating a wavering effect. But this time the shimmering effect lasted longer and reached further out across the invisible walls. The structure it illuminated shook slightly, then groaned like steel beams about to give way. But the ripples eventually slid off into the ground, and the structure held.

"All right. Again." Voldemort stated. "But longer this time. It can't stand against all five of us hitting in the same location."

Standing next to his godmother, Harry wavered slightly on his feet, just missing grabbing her arm as he collapsed to the ground.

"Harry!"

Voldemort turned to Arabella's anguished cry to see her knelling over Harry's collapsed form.

"What's wrong?"

Arabella had managed to help Harry to a sitting position, but he looked pale and ready to pass out again.

"Get the boy up!" Voldemort stated. "It will take all five of us hitting the wall to break the spell."

Arabella knew Voldemort was right. But she could also feel how weak Harry's grasp was as he tried to use her arm for leverage to get back to his feet.

"Harry?" She asked, her voice edged with concern.

"I'm all right." He answered her.

But Arabella turned to Voldemort. "He's too weak." She stated. "The spell won't be as strong. It won't work."

"He has to try or we all die." Voldemort shot back. "It isn't a choice for any of us."

With Arabella's help, Harry stood next to her. Again all five of them focused on one area of the wall. But as the five streaks of light hit the wall, one faltered and finally failed.

Arabella's followed it as she felt Harry's weight shift against her as his legs collapsed under him.

Voldemort, Lupin, and Orion equally broke off the attack as they turned to see what had happened.

"Well, now." Voldemort said softly as he took a staggered breath of air. "It would seem we do indeed have a problem now, Mr. Black." He said, turning his head to the man standing next to him.

"Any more bright ideas?" Orion asked, his attention fixed on Arabella and Harry.

"Actually, I do have one more." Voldemort replied, turning to face Orion. "The barrier's weakness seems to be that it isn't able to withstand a force of magic greater than itself. As is it with most things, they will fall to something more powerful than themselves."

"Well, unfortunately," Orion replied, taking a similar, stilted breath of air, "Our numbers seem to be dropping."

"Numbers don't matter." Voldemort replied, still staring at the man next to him. "'Power' is what matters here. And we haven't tapped our full potential yet, have we, Mr. Black?"

Orion held the man's gaze. "Meaning?"

Voldemort was speaking in barely a whisper now. Just low enough that only Orion could hear him. "I've seem what you can do. I've felt it. Now," He added, looking about them, "if you can collapse an entire mountain, Mr. Black, I really fail to see where a little box can be much of a challenge."

Orion stared back at the man. "Regardless of what you think I can or can not do..."

"I already know what you can do, Black! I told you, I've seen it. Now, I may not have all the pieces fitted together yet, but I know your boggart is involved somehow with your rather impressive level of magical ability. So I would suggest you bring him out here..."

"You know absolutely nothing!" Orion hissed at the man.

"I know enough. Now I'm afraid we're out of time for you to be playing hide-and-seek with your little friend..."

Orion slipped a finger under the collar around his neck and held it up for Voldemort's inspection. "Perhaps you've missed my newest accessory." He stated.

Voldemort studied the slim silver collar for a few seconds. "And?"

"It's purpose," Orion explained, "is to effectively cut me off from Bo. Even if whatever theory your twisted little mind has come up with were right, I can't reach him."

Orion felt he saw something that almost bordered on fear pass over the man's face. But it was quickly swept away by annoyance. "You would let us all die just to keep some bloody secret?" The man all but spat at him.

"You're not listening to me." Orion replied. "I can't reach Bo. Nor can he reach me. We are effectively cut off from each other."

Voldemort pulled his wand back out. "Then I think the solution is rather obvious. That collar has to come off."

Orion took a quick step back, pulling out his own wand. "You honestly think that if this wizard thought this through enough to know how to handicap us best, that he would make it such a simple matter to get the blasted thing off?!"

But before he could react further, Voldemort fired off a spell that just grazed the side of the collar.

To his utter surprise Orion felt the collar loosen and then fall away.

"Apparently he's not as sharp as you give him credit for. Now call your boggart, Mr. Black."

Orion made no move to comply, but instead fixed a hard stare on the man. "If you ever do that again, I swear I'll return the favor with a lot less careful aim."

"And if we don't get out of here very soon, that threat will be redundant at best. Now between the two of you, I'll wager you have enough power to break out of this trap."

Orion fixed a hard stare on the man. "And I have no idea what it could do if I can't break through." He hissed back at the man. "You think I hadn't thought of any of this before now? If it fails, the power falls back on itself. It would kill us all."

Voldemort glanced over at where Arabella was still leaning over Harry, calling his name as she tried to get him to respond. Lupin sat next to them, moving as little as possible as he watched the exchange with more interest than Orion would have liked.

"And we're all so much better off just sitting about waiting to see what happens?"

Orion watched Arabella cough several times in-between calling Harry's name. Without a word he turned and walked over to the wall.

Voldemort stepped back, placing himself next to Arabella and Harry, who sat with his eyes open, but slightly unfocused.

"What is he doing?" Arabella asked hoarsely as she watched Orion stand before the barrier, running his hand over it as it responded with small ripples following his movements.

Voldemort smiled slightly.

"Watch."

As Arabella, Lupin, and Harry sat watching Orion, he reached up and placed his other hand against the barrier, getting much the same results. But as they watched, the barrier began to change, reacting in a way they hadn't seen before. At first a single ripple went through it, a sound like a low roll of thunder following the movement over their heads. But as they watched and listened, a second ripple passed over them and the sound grew louder.

From behind him, Arabella could see Orion's muscles tensing as he kept his hands placed against the barrier. Wave after wave coursed through the barrier. Each one moving faster than the one before it.

Suddenly a flash of light erupted across the barrier and a rush of wind blew in on them like a shower of cold water.

Orion turned slowly to face them, seeming a little unsteady on his feet. But the effect passed quickly as he stood before them. "Lets go." Was all he said before starting off again.

For the next several hours the wizard seemed to forget them as their journey continued without any further incidents or any more visits from Becca. But Orion felt fairly sure they were being carefully watched just the same. The problem was he didn't know exactly why. Was the wizard waiting for another opportunity or just casually observing them now. And if so, what was he looking for?

Getting increasingly bored with the lack of action, Orion finally altered his pace to bring himself up alongside Voldemort as the man continued to walk on in absolute silence.

"You've got something on your mind."

Voldemort didn't even spare the younger man a glance. "And what makes you think that, Mr. Black?"

"Because for the past hour you haven't said one word. Quite a feat for you, unless you've got something rolling around in that mind of yours."

After a brief pause, Voldemort finally answered him. "All right, Mr. Black. Yes, I am thinking about something. About what that young woman said. 'He is very pleased to have finally met you'."

"And?"

Voldemort paused as he rubbed his hands together, continuing to stare off at the horizon. "One of my spies," he finally answered, "actually saw this wizard."

Orion mask his surprise behind an expressionless tone. "I thought no one had ever seen him."

"It was a haphazard encounter at best. But one of my spies did happen to be at a gathering of this man's followers when the wizard himself was present. Something my spy was given to believe was an extreme rarity. And to him this wizard had one startling characteristic that he would never have expected of the man."

"And that was?"

Voldemort turned to the man walking next to him. "He said this man could not have been more than thirty years old."

This time Orion's surprise was all too evident as his eyebrows shot up. "Thirty!?"

"Not what you would expect."

"Not even close. How can your spy be so sure this was the man?"

"He gave enough evidence to convince me this was the man. The point is that the man was, by all accounts, fairly young."

"So if this man is thirty now, and the spell was placed on Harry as a baby..."

"This man would not have been but fifteen years old himself when he placed the spell."

Orion absorbed the information past a growing frown.

"Now, based on the young lady's statement, and assuming that what she said wasn't just a slip of the tongue, I would say we have two possibilities here. One, that this wizard did not place the spell on Harry himself."

"And two?"

Voldemort turned to the other man. "That this wizard isn't the person we're looking for at all."

**Q&A**

Skahducky:

**It seems the group's secrets aren't secret anymore. He knows the group is being watched by Bale and the unspeakables, and he knows Bo is always nearby should he be needed. Why didn't they try to get Bo to apparate them out of the conduit? Please update soon!**

Well, Dear, actually you sort of jumped the gun here. And by 'he' I am

assuming here you mean Voldemort.

First off, no, the group is not being watched by Bale and the Unspeakables. Now, reading over the last chapter I can see where one might get that idea. So let me do a little expanding for you on that scene.

Bale knew that the group didn't just 'disappear'. What exactly happened to them he was only guessing. He was operating on two assumptions. They had been ported somewhere else or they were, in fact, still there. Since he didn't see any portkey, he was going to go with option number two. But to prove it, he had to find whatever was standing in the way and not allowing him to see the group. And by the spell he used, he proved something was there. Something that wasn't natural and that had no other purpose for being where it was. But currently Orin has no proof of where his agent has 'disappeared' to, and he is most definitely not watching him.

Now this second one is a bit more tricky. Technically, no, he doesn't know this for sure. He's only guessing. And Voldemort isn't entirely sure exactly what Bo is yet nor his exact relationship to Orion. Currently he does not believe that this is a boggart at all. He instead sees Bo as some sort of symbiotic magical creature that has attached itself to Orion. Just what it is and how powerful it is he is still open to suggestions on. But he is reasonably sure that this creature is part of the reason Orion was able to destroy his lair. Not 100, but he is working on it. Now, does Voldemort know that Bo is always nearby in case they need help? Again, he is reasonably sure that the creature is somehow connected to Orion. He is not so sure exactly how much help it would be in a crisis.

Why don't they have Bo apparate them out of the conduit? I thought this one was fairly obvious, Dear. Because it would defeat the purpose of what they are trying to do. Find the wizard in the north. And, based on Harry's directions, being in the conduit is the only way they are going to find him.

Nice try though.

MasterLupin:

**Well it would seem that they got lucky. I am curius about the "finaly meet you" part of the welcome to your doom speech that the lady gave. I would think that having placed the secrecy charm on Harry the wizard would have therefor meet him. Or is she reffering to meeting as an actual person capable of thought as aposed to being a baby. Post again soon.**

Now you see, I was curious how many people would pick up on that.

And as you can see, it didn't get past Voldemort for a second. Nor has he forgotten it. And it was indeed a very telling statement. But as that it is pivotal to the story, I can't really tell you what Becca meant when she said it.

But I will say this for Orion. He is all too well aware that Voldemort is putting the pieces together a lot faster than he would like, and he knows that if he isn't careful, the man will pretty soon have the whole picture put together. And above everything else, Orion is determined to protect Bo from Voldemort.

All reviews are as of 01/18/2007.

And remember:

Just say 'No' to negativity.


	49. Chapter 49

A/N: I always hated transition chapters. You know, those nasty little things that take you from one story arc to another?

That is what we have here. After this chapter I defy anyone to say the story moves too slowly. If anything, it takes off at breakneck speed. And with good reason. You have the five starting off on their journey and the wizard in the north doing everything in his power to stop them. There isn't a lot of time for thoughtful moments.

So, buckle-up, hold on,

and as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS**

Orion frowned at the suggestion. "Not the person we're looking for?"

"It's only a suggestion, Mr. Black." Voldemort replied. "But consider; no one has ever seen this wizard except for one person that I know of. And the person he saw couldn't in all likely-hood be who we're looking for. What would that suggest to you?"

Orion's frown grew deeper. "So you think this wizard is just the front man for someone else?"

Voldemort shook his head. "No. I think he's the front man for several someone's."

"Several?"

"Think about it." Voldemort said, looking about them. "How much power do you think it took to construct this conduit? Even I would have struggled to build such a thing, not to even mention hold it together." Voldemort stopped and turned to the man next to him. "Do you honestly believe one person is responsible for this?

And then there's the question of you and your boggart. I have no doubt of your power, Black. The magical abilities of your family are legendary, to say the least. And I won't even speculate on the abilities of your friend."

Orion remained silent when Voldemort paused in his assessment, giving him ample time to respond. But the man was putting things together far too well for Orion's liking, and he wasn't about to freely hand him any more pieces to fit into place.

Voldemort seemed to shrug off Orion's silence. "And yet this wizard's followers went up against you and your boggart and the rest of us without the slightest hint of fear or caution. One person against all six of us would have cause to back down. But several, joining their powers, would be more of an obstacle."

"That's all still just speculation."

"Then consider another point." Voldemort replied. "No one has ever seen this 'wizard', supposedly, except one person. Now, how can you possibly have as many spies as this 'wizard' seems to have and never be seen yourself except on rare occasions? And how can you be as well versed in what is going on in the world as he seems to be without ever experiencing things for yourself. Also, supposedly this man has never been seen because no one has ever detected his power. Surely a wizard of such strength would be easy to trace. He should stand out like a beacon in the darkness. But what if the reason he has never been detected is because there's really nothing extraordinary about him for someone to pick up on? And what if he has been seen? Numerous times? What if people have stood next to him in the street and never even noticed him? What if he could be his own spies because he can move about so freely and never be detected?"

"Because he's more than one person." Orion finished for him. "A witch or wizard of average power, able to move about freely because they're only one of a part that makes up the whole."

"Exactly."

"So this man we're trying to find is just a figurehead." Orion speculated.

Voldemort held up a finger as he turned to the ground. "You're getting ahead of me, Mr. Black." He stated. "No. I do not think the wizard we are trying to find is just a figurehead. What I do believe is that he is one of the group controlling all of this. The way he's kept himself hidden bares that out. And I also believe this group is centralizing their power."

Orion frowned again. "Centralizing it? You 're suggesting some sort of focal point?"

"Precisely."

"Then all we need should need to do is find their focal point and destroy it. That should handicap them a bit."

Voldemort turned to him again, this time with a small smile on his lips. "But I believe we have already found it, Mr. Black." He stated. "In fact, I think we've seen it several times."

"Really?"

"It's clever of them really. They've placed all that power in the hands of the last person you would suspect."

Orion thought for a moment about what the man was saying, then turned suddenly back to Voldemort. "Becca?"

The man's smile grew. "Exactly."

Orion spent the next hour that they walked thinking over Voldemort's suggestions. It all made a certain amount of sense...if you let it. And it would simplify things a great deal for him if all he had to do to stop this 'wizard' was to disrupt his power base by destroying the focal point, and then attack them before they had the time to centralize their power again. But he didn't like the idea of having to harm someone who could, for all intense and purposes, be an innocent bystander.

He couldn't help but relate this situation back to the focal point of his family's own power. What if someone were to discover the underlying basis of it, and then turn their greed for it against the one person they felt had control over it? Bo, was, as much as anyone could be, an innocent bystander in the situation. He was nothing more than a housing for the 'Power'. And not of his own choosing at that. Perhaps Becca's situation, if Voldemort was right, was the same? What if she had had no choice in her role?

Orion frowned at the possibility. But slowly a new thought started to form.

If Becca had had no choice over her role, maybe she wasn't all that happy with it? Maybe she had no idea what the people she shielded were really up to? And what would she do if she found out? She hadn't responded as he had expected her to to Harry's direct declaration to her that the wizard killed people. She had, in fact, all but ignored the statement. She had focused instead solely on persuading them to turn back.

What if she didn't know? What if she could be persuaded to switch sides? To help them defeat the 'wizard'.

Lost in his thoughts, Orion almost didn't notice as the rest of the group slowed to a stop. Looking up, he found they were standing before a large covered bridge that spanned a river they had come to.

Orion stood staring at the structure for a very long time. Behind him Harry watched, waiting for the Unspeakable to say something. For the life of him he couldn't understand what Orion was looking for, or at, for that matter. The bridge certainly didn't, in his opinion, warrant this much attention. It was really little more than a standard covered bridge, standing about six feet over a river that showed a fairly good current. It looked to be just a little over a hundred feet long, a good ten feet wide, and about eight feet high. And from what Harry could tell it look like every inch of it was made out of wood.

As Harry stood waiting, Voldemort stepped up next to Orion.

"Well?" He ask impatiently.

Orion stood for a few moments more, a hard set expression on his face. "I don't like it." He said finally in a voice that matched his expression. "There something not right about it."

"Well, it's either the bridge or the river, Black."

"At this point I'd almost take the river."

"I don't suppose those instincts of yours are bothering to tell you exactly what is wrong with taking the bridge?"

"Something." Orion answered plainly.

Voldemort sighed and turned to Harry. "Harry, which way do we need to go?"

Harry paused as he stared up into the man's face. "Across the river." He stated quietly. "I don't think it matters how we get there."

"The river is going to take time." Voldemort pointed out to Orion. "This wizard already knows we're coming. The faster we get there the less time he has to plan for our arrival."

Orion still stood staring fixedly at the bridge. "I agree." He said finally. "But we'll take it slowly. Watching and feeling for traps."

The group proceeded towards the wooden structure. Orion led the way with Voldemort following close behind. Next came Harry, who stayed close to Arabella, with Lupin bringing up the rear. As they started across, Harry could barely bring himself to take each step. One thing he trusted were Orion's instincts. If the man sensed a trap, it was likely a sure bet.

By the mid-way point, Harry couldn't help but feel a certain urgency to hurry and get to the other side. Nor could he deny the hope that this time Orion had been wrong. They were halfway, and nothing had happened. Harry began to breath a sigh of relief.

But just as the group passed the middle, the light that had followed them into the covered bridge disappeared. The group turned about abruptly to find themselves now facing a solid wall of wood where the entrance to the bridge had been.

No one even needed to make the suggestion as all five took off at a run for the other opening. But even as they turned towards it, they found themselves facing a second wall of wood.

"Well," Voldemort stated in a solemn tone, "spot on again, Mr. Black."

But Orion didn't appear to be paying much attention to him. Instead he was glancing about them as though he could hear something, but not see it.

"What is it now?" Voldemort ask.

"This is just the cage." Orion replied with a certain intenseness to his voice. "What's the consequence for stepping into it?"

"Maybe he's planning to try and suffocate us again?"

Orion sniffed at the space around them. "No. There's air getting in. A great deal of it as a matter of fact."

"It's getting hot." Harry pointed out.

Orion looked about them. "He's right. It's getting hotter in here."

Voldemort reached out and touched a hand to the wall closest to them. But he immediately snatched it back. "The walls are hot. And look at the ceiling."

All five directed their attention to the canopy of the bridge. Already the rippling currents of the rising heat could be seen gathering in the rafters of the bridge.

Abruptly Orion grabbed Harry and Arabella and dragged them to the floor of the bridge.

"Down!" He yelled at the others.

Everyone hit the floor just as the roof of the bridge suddenly burst into flames, followed quickly by the walls and spots around them on the floor.

"So," Voldemort stated, "he going to try and burn us alive this time."

"Not if we can use it against him." Orion yelled about the growing roar of the fire that now surrounded them.

"How?"

"He's letting air in to feed the fire. To keep it burning hot enough that we can't get out. We can redirect the air to form a barrier. A type of cyclone, around us."

"But that will draw the fire to us faster." Voldemort pointed out.

"It's bound to be hot." Orion agreed. "The wind will keep the fire circling around us in a tight space, focusing the majority of the hot air inward. It'll build up heat, no doubt. But if we can withstand the heat, the fire won't be able to be in any one place long enough to burn us. And eventually it'll weaken the floor of the bridge and it'll collapse into the river."

Voldemort stared hard at the man next to him. "That's your plan?"

"You have something better?"

Voldemort looked about them. "Not at the moment."

"All right then." Orion stated. "We need to do this together."

Voldemort quickly pulled out his wand and nodded to Orion. The two spoke the spell in unison, and almost immediately, a strong wind began building around them. Harry watched as the fire reacted to the shifting currents. As the wind picked up speed, the fire began bending towards them. Tongues off of the flames were snatched into the circular wind flow and whisk about the five figures in the middle of the chamber. Harry watched as more and more of the fire was pulled into the spinning circle of the cyclone-like wind. He began to feel he now knew what it felt like to be in an oven. The temperature began to rise rapidly, until when he looked around them, all he could see was a bright red wall of flames circling around them.

Just when he felt he couldn't take anymore of the heat and was ready to willing face the wall of fire to the concentrated heat they were trapped in the center of, Harry heard a slight creaking underneath him. He barely had time to register what the noise meant when the floor beneath him gave way.

In an instant the heat of the fire gave way to the cool refreshing feel of the water below as they fell into the river. Harry quickly paddled his way to shore and hauled himself up unto the grassy shore. A hand reached down, grabbed him by the arm and carefully pulled him the rest of the way to his feet.

"Are you all right?"

Harry turned around to find Voldemort standing next to him, looking just as drenched, but unquestionably concerned.

"I'm fine." Harry replied, quickly turning his attention to something other than the man standing next to him. "Where are the others?"

"Harry!" A thankfully familiar voice called out to his left.

Harry turned to see his godmother hurrying towards him. In her wake were Orion and Lupin.

"Are you all right?" Arabella ask, quickly checking him for any cuts.

"I'm fine." Harry replied, getting as quickly to his feet as he could to show her he wasn't hurt. Turning to his right, he caught site of the bridge just as it gave one last creaking groan before collapsing into the river amid a flare up of sparks and hissing as it hit the water.

"Come on." Orion stated as he directed the group away from the riverbank. "Let's keep moving."

Q&A

Silverfox:

**Oh, I love the new chapter! Bo is so cute! And you thought this was going to make me worry LESS?(Waldi, keep your hands off the bogart, you hear!)**  
**As for why Waldi would care about the strings attached to Bo's powers: Voldemort: What do you mean we have to obey Talon's call? I'm busy here!  
Actually that second one is what I meant by the strings attached: If Voldemort thought he'd control the power, by posessing the bogart, then found himself actually sharing a body with the power which was still under Talon's control ... well, there's your limit right there.  
Okay, maybe I should have explained more about the story after all. It's about Draco trying to cope with the fact that he was raped while he's also slowly falling in love with Neville. (Can one fall into something slowly? Even if it is love?) Hence not the kind of rape you'd expect with that pairing. If there are more of those around, please point. I've only ever seen the one. In fact, thanks to NC-17 bann the pairing part of the fic never had time to actually unfold so what really was there was a close look at Draco struggling with the rape and his loyalties, Crabbe and Goyle as distinctive characters and actual friends to Draco, Neville struggling with his self worth and new responsibilities ... Yes, really, if you've seen anything like that around, please point. Doesn't have to have the slash part either to make me happy.**

Since I missed you last time, Dear, I felt it was only fair to start with you.

I'm glad you like Bo. He is something of a reader favorite and happily, will be prominent in this story. And keep in mind, it wasn't for nothing that Hershel recommended that Orion take Bo with him on this journey. Hershel knows something, but as that he isn't big into sharing, he didn't tell Orion the whole story. In fact, Hershel is miles ahead of everyone else here. He actually does know what's going on. The wizard's people attacking him was without a doubt the last thing they should have done. And I did state that what little information Hershel did pass on to Orion was just chocked full of little goodies. The down-side, as I said, was that Hershel isn't big into sharing things. And he also saw using what he knew as nothing more than a tool to try and repay a debt.

Indeed, you have a point. Even were Voldemort to somehow get control of Bo, he could never be host for two reasons. One, there can only be one host, which is currently Talon, and two, you have to be a member of the Black family to assume the role of host. And even if Voldemort could make himself a channeler of the 'Power', Bo would still be bound by the parameters of the original spell to answer to Talon first.

Nice theory, but it would never happen. Voldemort could never possess the boggart's body along with the 'Power'. Keep in mind the 'Power' is NOT a physical being. It isn't corporeal, but it is sentient. And currently it has it's nice little happy home in the boggart's body and it likes it there. For the first time in it's very long captivity in our 'realm', it has it's own body. Now, were Voldemort to come along and try and possess that body as he did Sirius', I would think he would be in for one really nasty surprise. He would be trying to overpower something that for all intense and purposes, has no limits. Plus, he would be irritating it.

Consider, he would be trying to take away from the 'Power' the one sole thing in this world that it feels truly belongs to it.

Trust me, in the end, it wouldn't be pretty, folks.

But for right now, Voldemort is still trying to figure out exactly what Bo is.

All I can say, Dear, is go check out THE RESTRICTED SECTION website. I'm sure they'll have something up your alley.

MasterLupin:

**Hmm... This new information about the Wizard in the north just threw me far off in my speculation of him. I was thinking someone on Voldemort's age level to be as experienced as he seems to be. But it could be apart of his battle plan, Sun-Tzu says that you must deceive your enemy as to your true strength, to keep him unsure of how to attack you. I think that there are three people who compose the wizard, a figure head, a mage, and someone yet to be determined. I think three only because the tirade has huge literary significance involved with it and is most often found in litterateur. post again soon.**

Actually, a lot of readers assumed the wizard in the north to be someone of Voldemort or Dumbledore's age. But no, he's not.

Trust me, the wizard has his copy of Sun-Tzu's Art of War out in front of him and he is studying it hard, as the next chapter will show.

Well, I'm happy to say I was one step ahead of you this time. And you have the right idea, you just have your numbers wrong. This is by no means a power triangle. And even if it didn't suit the story line, I would not have gone that route. Too much like the set up in Hamilton's novels. To which I would add, whatever happened there? What started out as a great series took a side trip into 'Sex in the City' and never quite found it's way out again. The woman seems bound and determined to see just how much kinky junk she can squeeze between the pages of each novel, and tries to outdo herself with each book. I stopped reading the series after about the first five books when it just got too danged bizarre for my tastes.

But I digress.

I do feel the need to reiterate to you, Dear (since you are just so dang good at putting things together, and you almost got me this time,) I will always tell you if you are wrong. I will never tell you if you are right.

In other words, if I don't answer a question, directly address a statement you make or guess you take, you're right!

CelticHeiressFiona:

So glad you enjoyed it, Dear. And stay tuned. There are plenty of twists and turns ahead.

All reviews are as of 01/28/2007.

And remember;

A real friend is the one who walks in when everyone else walks out.


	50. Chapter 50

A/N: Just in case you're interested, this would technically be my fiftieth chapter, which makes this story now technically one chapter longer than Family Life. Just a little bit of trivia there for you.

Also, please note this is another A and B chapter. And that Q&A is at the end of Chapter A.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE A: ANOTHER FINE MESS**

Trudging through the woods, Orion brought the group to a sudden halt. Looking up, the others quickly noted their path was blocked once again by the small petite woman who seemed to be always one step ahead of them.

"Oh great magic." Orion sighed. "Not again."

"Why are you persisting?" The woman called out, still several yards ahead of them on the path. "Has my master not been more than lenient with you?"

"Lenient!?" Voldemort stated. "Is that what you call nearly roasting us on that bridge? Or nearly suffocating us? Being 'lenient'?"

"And yet here you are." Becca replied, holding her arms out. "Alive and unharmed."

"And forward is how we intend to go." Voldemort replied. "Until we find this 'master' of yours and deal with him as he should be."

Becca turned her attention to the man speaking to her. "You fool." She stated. "You think my master fears you? You think he can not deal with you if he so desired?"

"He has yet to do so."

"Because he is being generous. Far more than you deserve. Turn back now and no further harm will come to you." Becca turned her attention to Harry. "Harry, please listen to me." She pleaded. "You must understand that what you are doing is wrong. Please do not let others misdirect you. Don't let others choose your path. Don't lead them any further. Go back now."

Voldemort turned to Harry over his shoulder. "Harry, what direction?" He ask.

Harry paused for a moment, his stare fixed on the woman in front of them. But finally he started to point when Orion suddenly grabbed his arm and forced it back down. "Becca, can I ask you a question?" He said.

The woman turned to him. She didn't answer, but she regarded him past an inquisitive stare, cocking her head slightly to one side.

"Do you enjoy what you do?" Orion ask quickly in a calm, unthreatening voice.

"Enjoy?" The woman ask, as though the concept itself was foreign to her.

"Yes. Serving your master. Do you enjoy it?"

The woman regarded him now past what could have been called an amused stare. "What sort of question is this?" She ask. "I serve my master. It is what I do."

Abruptly a tower of dark robes appeared next to Orion, hovering close to his side. The woman took instant note of the boggart's appearance, pointing to him. "Does your servant enjoy serving you?" She ask.

Orion crossed his arms in front of him. "Bo isn't my servant." He replied. "He's my friend."

The boggart responded with a soft thrill, then reached out and patted the man next to him on the head.

"He serves you." Becca countered in a firmer voice. "He does as he is told."

"No." Orion shook his head. "He does what I ask...if he wants to. I never force him."

The woman fell silent as she watched the two in front of her, her expression showing nothing but confusion.

"Is that what is done to you, Becca?" Orion ask softly. "Are you forced to do what you do? Did your master force you to try to kill us in that box?"

At the phrase the woman came alive again with a vengeance. "How dare you!" She spat at them. "My master is a kind man. He forces me to do nothing. I do what I do because he has the right to protect himself and others from those who mean them harm. Harm you have more than shown from your first dealings with him, and how you have dealt with his loyal followers, cutting them down like dogs. Now leave, and do not come back here!"

Pulling back her arm, Becca threw a ball of light at the ground still separating them. Hitting the leaf covered forest floor, it erupted into a shower of debris.

Instantly Bo raised his robe covered hands and a clear shield rose against the onslaught of the blast, forming a barrier between the group and the destruction caused by the blast.

When the dust settled, the group found themselves again standing alone on the path.

Stepping up to the Unspeakable, Voldemort studied the large crater left in the ground from Becca's parting gift.

"Ouch." He commented dryly. "That was one sore nerve you touched."

Orion narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yes. The question is 'why'.

"I don't think we're going to be given much of a chance to ponder that one, Mr. Black."

Orion turned to where Voldemort was now indicating. In what was before a clear open area in the trees ahead of them now stood a small, stone castle.

"Another trap?" Orion ventured.

"Possibly. Harry?" Voldemort turned back to the teenager behind him. "Which direction?"

Harry paused for a second as he got his bearings back, then slowly pointed to the structure in front of them.

"Maybe this is his lair." Harry suggested hopefully.

But Orion shook his head. "Too easy and too convenient." He pointed out, turning to the rest of the group. "Best to keep on our toes for any sign of a trap."

As the group approached the castle the doors swung slowly open with an ominous creaking sound.

"Well, we can eliminate the element of surprise." Lupin stated.

Orion considered the open doors for a moment, then slowly proceeded inside, followed by the others.

Once inside, the group found themselves standing in a large open area that belied the exterior's suggestion of the building's size. The room was easily five times the size of the outside walls, let alone giving any extra space for the many rooms leading off to the sides evidenced by the doors placed along the walls.

But except for the five of them, the castle seemed empty. No sound except for their own breathing echoed in the large hall.

"Now what?" Voldemort ask quietly.

Behind them the doors suddenly slammed shut, causing the group to turn abruptly back to them. But instead of an empty room, they now found themselves facing no more than thirty of the wizard's own robed people, all holding wands pointed directly at the group.

"You just had to ask that, didn't you?" Orion answered him.

Orion quickly grabbed hold of Harry and pulled him after him as he bolted for the only open door he could see, which was directly ahead of them. Arabella, Lupin, and Voldemort followed close behind, trying to ward off the others as they went.

But before they reached the opening, several wizards emerged from it first, all with their wands already drawn.

Orion skidded to a halt, with Arabella, Lupin, and Voldemort practically running headlong into his back.

The day just wasn't going very well at all.

**Q&A**

Skahducky:

**It's possible that the wizard in the north had begun to plan way back when he was fifteen. After all, Voldemort had shed the name he was born with by the time he was sixteen. He could also just look younger than he is, either in real life or by some charm. Regardless, how does the wizard in the north know so much? How could he possibly know enough about Orion's bond with Bo to be able to cut it off? Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

OK, you're a two parter this time. First this review, then the next one.

As one of my favorite sayings goes, Dear, 'anything is possible'. And oh, you have such good questions this time. Why are they good? Because I can actually answer them without having to go into speculation. True, the wizard could have been planning all this from the time he was fifteen since Voldemort began to reinvent himself at sixteen. However, Voldemort was motivated..., and just a little nutty. But I have always advocated that the line between genius and insanity is a very thin one. Insane people also tend to be very intelligent. Good for them, bad for the gene pool.

So again, anything is possible. Yes, he could have been planning all this fromt he time he was fifteen, and if it makes you happy, Dear, you go right on believing that.

Now on to the part I love so much. How does the wizard in the North know so much about Orion? I have actually wanted to address this for some time, but here is the perfect opportunity that I am not going to pass up.

People, aren't we forgetting a little something here? How could the man know so much about Orion? Possibly because Orion's best friend is one of the wizard's best spies? Remember Charly, folks? The man might as well have an autobiography on Orion for all it matters.

Now, why would Charly betray his best friend that way? No one says he has. Remember that Charly's only incentive here has been to keep Orion alive when all the wizard in the North has wanted to do from day one is kill him. Why? Well, that's a large part of the story. And technically, the wizard has never said he wanted Orion dead. All he ever instructed Charly on was that Orion was never to have children. Something Orion's own father advocated.

Different reasons? Maybe. Maybe not. Again, large part of the story, so I can't tell you that.

Now, my second favorite comment in your review is actually part of the first. And I'm willing to bet here that you stumbled onto something without even knowing it.

How did the wizard know enough about Orion to be able to cut off his connection to Bo? Interesting information, wouldn't you say? And that's all I'm saying on that topic.

Next review!

**Do Voldemort and Orion have any plans to make sure Becca is the focal point of the wizards' power before they attack her/persuade her to join them? Voldemort's conclusion seemed pretty logical, but I think it's just one possbility of many. Anyway, this was a wonderful chapter. Please update soon!**

Oh, Dear, Voldemort always has plans. His current ones concerning Becca are to either kill her or start dating her. The woman obviously has power and knows how to use it. The problem is, she only does so at someone else's direction. Voldemort would love to have her under his control on those terms.

And you'll note (and it is important) the person conversing with Becca and trying to learn something about her is not Voldemort. It's Orion. Trust me, the Unspeakable is starting to put things together. But unlike Voldemort, he isn't as vocal about it. I always said Orion wasn't the fastest horse on the track, but he is most definitely the most methodical. Once he has an idea about something, he'll work until he has an answer. But unlike Voldemort, Orion doesn't jump into things headfirst and hope they come out all right. He goes about it slowly, covering every base along the way. And his questions when directed at Becca are not random chit-chat. He's trying to find something out. But he has to do it in such a way that the wizard that is controlling Becca doesn't catch on to what he's trying to learn about her.

Again, Orion's questions aren't necessarily as straight forward as they seem. He's not directly trying to sway Becca's loyalties. He already has an idea that that isn't going to be possible. The questions he's asking are more to try and learn something particular about her that he's suspicious of, he just has no proof.

Voldemort has a lot of the pieces of his puzzle already and is able to make some pretty generalized guesses. The problem is, the really big piece that goes right int he middle is the piece he is missing. And while Voldemort is working so hard trying to assemble all the smaller pieces, that really big one is the one Orion is working on finding.

MasterLupin:

**Well then I guess I could ask you a series of yes or no questions to see what ones are right and what wrong, but that would take all the fun out of it. Admittedly I love a good riddle that keeps me thinking about it for days.**

Anyway, I guess the next logical number to choose for the number of wizards that compose our nemesis for now would be seven. Good old seven, again it has literarily meaning, historical meaning, practical meaning, and biblical meaning. The next best number to choose after the ever popular tirade.

I couldn't help but notice that they have now completed three trials on their way to the conglomerate of wizards in the north. First the group that attacked them at the start of the path, then the box with no way out, (nice one that I don't think I paid you complement on in my last review) now the burning bridge. All of which can be found in various works of famous literature. This leads me to think that in the next chapter they will have a major confrontation.

This can be derived from the significance of the burning bridge and the tirade. Can't wait for the next chapter.

Oh! Good heavens, please do! I love yes and no questions the best!

Now come on, what's a good riddle if you don't play 'twenty questions' to get some parts of it to fit together? Come on, give me some good, old fashion yes and no questions.

I like seven too. Go solid number. But still wrong.

Again, nice try, but no. And I'll help you out here just a bit. You're looking to connect dots that don't exist, Dear. If nothing else, I try to be original in my stories. So it is unlikely you will find any connection between it and any other story base. I didn't write the story with anything specific in mind gathered from a communal database of story plots. I simply laid out a path that would get me from point A to point B. No specific symbolism involved.

Hope that helps a little.

And there is a major confrontation coming, but just not the kind you're probably thinking of or between the characters your lining up for it.

In fact, I'll lay large sums of money on that one.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome chapter! And this little, well, revelation I guess? Idea? About this "wizard" actually being more than one person is very interesting and extremely clever. I love it. See you next chapter! **

Ooooooohhhhhhhh! I rarely get reviews that describe my story plots as 'clever'. Thank you, Dear.

Actually, regarding the suggestion that the wizard is more than one person, and I'd like to point out it is still just a 'suggestion'. Has anyone confirmed it? Even Becca has only referred to her 'master'. Singular, folks.

Am I saying that assumption is wrong? No. But I'm also not saying it's right.

Silverfox:

**Hm ... Lupin is looking surprisingly useless so far and what was that with the chain that came off so easily? There must be more behind the presence of both of them in this story ... Orion on the other hand is very much proving his worth and what about Waldi? Could he be playing helpless to see more of Orion's ability or would he really have run out of ideas/spells this soon, if he'd gone without the auror? Not a good show so far, mighty Dark Lord.  
Yep, Talon could have Voldemort dancing on his strings, if only he sacrificed his son's beloved bogart. Could seem a good idea from his POV, I fear.**

Trust me, Lupin will have his uses. I didn't include him in the group just to appease the 'R.J. Lupin Fan Club' (but hey, it didn't hurt either).

Actually, the chain being able to be opened as easily as it was was very telling. I'm surprised more people didn't question it. And since that seemed to slip by so many people, I will say this about that scene: Doesn't it seem that maybe (just maybe) that the wizard wanted them to be able to get it off? Hmmmmm?

Both of them have a place in this story? Absolutely. I always have said I never include anything that doesn't contribute to the story directly. Or if it doesn't, I tell you straight out. Hence my little 'this was just for fun' chapters every now and then.

Orion proving his worth? I would hope so. Pointless to have him along otherwise except that he controls Bo...sort of. (I mean, how much does anyone really control a hyper three year old, ya' know?).

On that next part, what do you think, Dear? You think a wizard as old and experienced as Voldemort has really depleted the old trick bag this soon? And I have said all along, or at least eluded to, that Voldemort is trying to put the pieces of his puzzle together. And a large part of that puzzle (though not all of it) is the relationship between Orion Black and his enigmatic boggart.

Why would Talon's having control over Voldemort rely on sacrificing Bo? You lost me there, Dear. But it sounds like an intriguing idea. Please expand on that.

As for Talon ever doing anything that would directly hurt Bo, let me preach on that for a minute. Talon doesn't, deep down, hate Bo. In fact, he doesn't hate him on the surface either. He simply doesn't trust him. And in all fairness, with good reason. Remember, and lets not have any misunderstanding on this, what Bo did to Orion when he was just a child was out and out manipulation. His reasons, be it because he was genuinely lonely or he genuinely wanted out of the cellar, are yours to decide. But it makes no difference in the end. Bo planned what he did very carefully and worked to make it happen just as he wanted it to. As much as he may appear that way (sometimes literally), Bo isn't a family's pet dog. He is a sentient creature and he can think very well for himself, thank you very much.

Talon's relationship to the boggart, and how he treats him, is based very solidly on Talon's belief that the only way Bo is harmless is to keep him on a tight leash. You can't do that with something you are intimately involved with. This is why he disapproves of Orion's relationship with Bo. He feels Orion treats Bo far too much like a playmate. And that should Orion one day have to make some very hard choices regarding Bo or the safety of the community at large, Orion won't be able to make the right choice, fearing losing his friend.

pstibbions:

**Why doesnt Hermione ever get any credit for helping Harry rescue Sirius in Third Year? Actually, Harry helped her - neither could have done it without the other. Give credit where credit is due, for chrissake.**

Dear, no offense, but what does that have to do with the price of tea in China, or this story for that matter?

All reviews are as of 02/03/2007.

And remember;

Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.


	51. Chapter 51

A/N: And yes, yes, we all know Book VII is now officially scheduled to come out in July. We are all very excited. Now get over it.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE B: ANOTHER FINE MESS**

A short while later, Orion, Arabella, Harry, Lupin, and Voldemort found themselves in one of the dungeons of the old castle. The wizard's people had relieved each of their wands and anything else they had felt was magical, including a small stone Dumbledore had given Harry just before they left the castle that morning. The old wizard had called it 'last resort' as he had handed it to Harry, but had said nothing more about it and Harry hadn't had much time to ask.

Inside the large cell, Arabella, Lupin, and Harry sat on one side of the stone bench that was set against the wall in the back while Voldemort sat on the opposite end, one leg drawn up in front of him with his arms wrapped around it as he stared out through the bars at what seemed to be nothing imparticular. From time to time, Arabella had glanced over at him to see what he was doing. But in the time they had been in the cell, the man hadn't so much as moved or said a word. The lack of movement wasn't so unusual. Arabella had seen the man from her window at Hogwarts on more than one occasion sitting at the lake for hours at a time, never seeming to move so much as his position.

It was the silence part she couldn't understand. From her time with him, it seemed the man hardly ever shut-up. It was as though once in Sirius' body, the man had suddenly discovered the power of speech and couldn't wait to give it a good trying-out. But for the past hour, having decided their best plan for escape was, as in any good game of chess, to wait for the other side to make their move, Arabella had taken to studying the man down the bench from her. To try and analyze what might be going on in his mind at the time. But the only answer she kept coming back to wasn't a thought at all. It was a feeling. One that had, over the past hour been steadily growing until she felt it was practically a physical thing. And the last she expected from him.

Fear.

She had thought she had sensed the feeling in him several times before now. But back then he had always controlled it. As long as they were moving, he seemed to feel more at ease. But now they were caged and apparently unable to escape. The next move belonged to their opponents. And that was apparently not a situation Voldemort apparently liked very well at all.

Whispering something quietly to Harry, Arabella got up from next to him stepped down to the other side of the bench, where she slowly seated herself next to Voldemort.

A pair of eyes followed her progression in their peripheral vision.

"What is it about this other wizard that frightens you so much?" Arabella asked softly as she took her place on the bench.

Voldemort sat in silence for a few moments before answering her.

"I don't know that 'frightens' is the right word."

"Scares?"

"You're quite humorous, Ms. Figg. It's little wonder what Mr. Black sees in you."

"And one of those qualities, I've been told, is that I'm fairly perceptive. And all I'm perceiving from you is fear."

Voldemort continued to stare in front of him, never once turning to face her.

"You've told us very little about this wizard." Arabella stated quietly. "But if he is enough to frighten you above anyone else, then he must be powerful indeed."

"I have explained how dangerous the man is. As well as might he be deranged. I have seen this man's power. Seen what he can do. What he is capable of. And nor am I ready to disregard the notion that this man is really only one of several we are up against, all pooling their power against us. I would find that cause to frighten anyone with any sense." He replied, glancing at the front of the cell, where Orion had been standing for the past hour, only changing his position occasionally as he stood leaning against the bars in an almost bored fashion. "Unlike some people, who don't seem to have the good sense to be frightened."

"I see no point in dwelling on an emotion that will contribute little to our escape." Came the answer from the bars.

Voldemort got up and stalked over to the bars.

"And what has standing here at these bars for the past hour, ignoring the danger we are in, done for you?"

Arabella strategically moved herself back next to Harry. If Voldemort and Orion were going to get into it again, she felt it was her place to protect her godson from the potential fallout.

'Flying debris' coming quickly to mind.

"I haven't been standing here 'ignoring the danger'." Orion replied in a deceptively calm voice. "I simply haven't been letting the situation direct my emotions." He turned a small smile to Voldemort. "Unlike others."

"Do tell, Mr. Black." Voldemort responded. "Was it that fine tuned, analytical mind of yours that got us into this mess to begin with? I thought Aurors were suppose to be so good at sensing traps."

"My attention has been a little divided as of late." Orion answered in the same quiet tone. "What with having to watch out for Arabella and Harry...and you." He added in a particularly sarcastic tone.

"I can look out for myself very well."

Orion looked about the cell before turning back to Voldemort. "And such a fine job you've done."

"You might take into account that I'm not standing in this cell alone, Mr. Black."

Orion only frowned at the comment as he turned back to the bars.

"Speaking of people in the cell," Voldemort went on, "one might ask where is your boggart. He hasn't made an appearance since our last encounter with the lovely Becca. And why are we even here since surely he could have dealt with the wizard's people upstairs as easily as he did before."

Orion kept his stare fixed outside the bars. "I don't like to have Bo defending in closed in spaces. He gets...excited sometimes. I didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt."

"I would have thought your boggart would take care not to allow any of us to come to harm, Mr. Black."

"I was referring to the wizard's people."

"The wizard's...those maniacs attacking us?" Voldemort ask in disbelief. "You were worried about those people getting 'hurt'?"

Orion only nodded.

"Why?"

"For good reason."

Voldemort sighed as he turned back to see what the others in the cell were doing for a moment, then turned back to the Unspeakable. "Well, if you haven't been standing here contemplating the rose garden we're currently stuck in, or how to keep the casualty count down, what exactly have you been doing?"

"Trying to get us out of this 'rose garden' with the lowest number of casualties."

"And?"

"Even if we had a wand, we couldn't get out on our own. The cage is surrounded by wards to keep us from breaking out through magical means and the lock will only respond to the right key. But none of us currently has the option of searching about for it unless they carelessly left it somewhere in this cage."

"Then call your boggart. Surely he could find it without any trouble."

Orion said nothing for a moment. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because this wizard has been learning. And he set this castle up to bar Bo from getting in presently."

"Presently?"

"He's working on it." Orion replied with a small smile.

Voldemort gave Orion a cold smile in return. "Then I guess it will be up to me to provide our cavalry this time."

Orion turned to the man. "Cavalry?"

"You say your boggart is blocked from getting into the castle?" Voldemort ask.

Orion studied the man for a moment. "For the moment."

"Do you know if the magic blocking him is specific to just him?" Voldemort ask, knowing well the Unspeakable's proficiency not only with creating wards, but with feeling out their uses as well.

Orion paused for a moment again, feeling out the wards around them. "It appears to be. Why?"

"If the magic is centered on keeping your boggart out, then perhaps for the moment our host is distracted working on that. I would think a spell that could keep your boggart out would have to be fairly complicated and require a great deal of power."

Orion neither confirmed or denied the man's suspicions.

"And the wards surrounding this cage? Are they specific too?"

"To what?"

"You said earlier the ward was designed to keep us from using magic to get out. Is that all it is set up to do?"

Orion paused for a moment, feeling out the ward around the cage again. "It seems to be." He responded finally.

"I'll need a wand." Voldemort stated matter-of-factly.

Orion scoffed at the request. "If we had a wand, we could get out of here ourselves!" He snapped back.

"Not unless it was the wand that opens that particular lock." Voldemort pointed to the door of the cell. "And our chances of getting our hands on that particular wand from in here are slim indeed. However, that isn't the wand I need. I can use any wand. It doesn't matter."

"For what?"

"You suggest that this castle is currently surrounded by a very powerful magical ward. One directed at your boggart, but one nonetheless. I need a focal point to get through it. Hence, a wand."

"Well, then, we'll have to wait for one to come to us."

"Which will be...?"

"They'll have to feed us some time."

"Assuming they don't intend to leave us down here to starve."

"Then we'll have to think of something else. But in the meantime, we'll work on getting you a wand."

"And you expect whoever comes down here to feed us to leave one on the tray?"

Orion gave the man a cold smile. "No. But as I said, this man is learning...from us...and about us."

"And?"

"And I intend to teach him a lesson he won't soon forget."

Voldemort stared at the man next to him for a moment before returning to his seat on the bench. Positioning himself this time, Arabella noted, as far to the end as he could without falling off.

The wait for opportunity wasn't as long as Orion had thought it might be. A few moments later a woman came down the steps and approached their cell carrying a small tray.

"I was told to feed you." She stated plainly. "Move away from the bars."

Orion did as he was told, but kept his attention positively fixated on the woman. As she glanced back up at him, he favored her with a small smile.

"That's very kind of you." He said in a soft, gentle voice. "Thank you."

The woman gave no reply, but her eyes never left Orion's. But as she stepped up to the bars, she reluctantly tore her gaze from his and turned her attention back to her task.

Orion smiled again slightly. He could feel her emotions coming to the surface. Sometimes it was so easy, it was laughable. Her focus wasn't all on her work anymore. A small distraction was all he needed.

"Perhaps you would be kind enough to answer a question?" Orion asked, trying his best not to make it sound condescending.

The woman set the tray down and shoved it through a small opening in the bars. She apparently didn't like being near the cell with the odds stacked considerably against her. But once she backed away from the bars, she turned back to the man in the cell.

"What question?" She replied.

"What exactly is suppose to happen to us?" He asked as softly as before. "We have no idea why we're even being held here."

"Really?" She answered with a small laugh. "Somehow I don't believe you're actually that naive."

Orion stepped up to the bars, giving the woman his most charming smile. "All right. Perhaps I have some idea. But that still doesn't answer the first question."

"And I should know the answer to that?" She asked, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Well, I hoped you could give us at least some idea." There was no harm, Orion figured, in trying for a little information along the way to a subtle seduction.

The woman seemed to think the question over. "I suppose you're to be kept here for the time being."

"Kept?" Orion questioned, putting a decidedly hopeful tone in his voice. "So," he added with a small smile, "we're not to be killed outright?"

"The lord has no desire to kill you." She replied, casting a quick glance to the sole figure at the end of the bench before glancing back at Orion from under her lashes. "Well, not all of you." She added.

Orion followed her stare, then turned his characteristic smile back to her. "I wouldn't stop him." He replied quietly.

The woman looked puzzled. "But the man is your friend." She stated.

Orion shook his head. "All captives aren't in cages, Love." He replied.

The woman's eyes shifted again to where Voldemort sat. "He controls you?" She asked.

Orion only nodded very slightly in return.

"The lord would be interested to know this." She said quietly, turning her stare back to Orion. "He says you work together to try and destroy him."

"I have no desire to kill your master." Orion answered sincerely. "Given the chance, I would gladly serve him."

The woman's interest peaked considerably. "Really?"

Orion pressed his point. "After all," he stated softly, "there's so much incentive within his ranks."

The woman positively blushed at the comment.

"I will speak to my lord about this." She promised. "I will tell him you do not serve this man willingly, and that you wish to serve him. I am sure he would gladly accept you."

"Wait!" Orion stated, reaching between the bars and grabbing her arm. But he quickly released his hold, pulling his arms back inside the bars as he felt the woman pull away from his hold.

"I'm sorry." He replied. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

The woman stood a slight distance from the bars now.

"What do you want?" She asked a bit more formally.

Orion silently cursed himself. One wrong move, made too soon. He wasn't sure he could correct the mistake now.

"Let me talk to him." Orion replied. Everything now he banked on the wizard keeping his followers ignorant of any major information about them. And if he was right, the most crucial piece of that information was Bo.

"You will." The woman replied. "In time."

"No." Orion insisted gently. "Now. I have to talk to him now. There's is a great deal I could tell him. Things he doesn't know about this man." He added, gesturing to Voldemort with a slight turn of his head.

"You can tell him when you see him then."

"You don't understand." Orion replied, lowering his voice to give the impression he didn't want the man in the back of the cage to hear him. But the action achieved it's even more sinister reason as the woman moved a few steps closer to the bars of the cage to still be able to hear him.

Orion gave her a frightened, pleading look. "If the man senses I will betray him, he'll do whatever is necessary to keep me silent. Anything that he has to."

The woman seemed to be considering the situation. All she needed was a small, gentle nudge.

"I am very high ranking in his followers." Orion said quietly. "I know more about the man than anyone could. All his secrets. All his strengths. I could hand your master the keys to controlling this man...or destroying him. Whichever he desires." Orion pressed closer to the bars. "And I would tell him who was responsible for getting me to tell him these things. Who convinced me it was the right thing to do. I am sure that would carry no small reward...for either of us."

The woman's eyes brightened at the suggestion. "No, indeed. My master would be most pleased with both of us. You're ranking within his followers would be assured."

Orion smiled at her. "And I am sure he would not begrudge me a proper, suitable, if not pleasant assistant, to help me acclimate."

The woman blushed again. "Most certainly."

"Then take me to him." Orion whispered to her. "And we will be well on our way."

The woman took a step closer to the bars, her face taking on a look of disappointment. "I don't have the key."

"Can you get it?"

The woman nodded.

"Then be quick." Orion told her, but stopped her all but running out the door. He still hadn't gotten what he wanted. "But don't hurry out." He warned. "If he gets the slightest idea in that little mind of his that we're up to anything, I'll be dead before you come back. And don't come back alone. Bring five...six others with you."

"Why?"

"When he sees you come back so soon, he'll be suspicious. He may have even heard us. You come back alone, or with too few people, and he'll try to escape now more desperately than ever."

The woman nodded quickly, stepping back from the bars. But Orion reached out slowly and took her arm again in a much gentler hold than before. "Wait." He said softly, with a small smile. To his relief, the woman not only didn't pull back, but followed his lead as he guided her with a feather touch back to the bars.

She looked up at him with a welcoming smile.

"What?" She asked, her voice hedged with a touch of silk in it now.

"One last thing." Orion said quietly as he fixed his stare on her's through the bars.

"And that would be?"

"Do you have your wand?" He asked.

The woman looked up at him a bit nervously. But Orion's hold on her arm was light and un-threatening. Pausing for a moment more, she finally nodded with a small smile.

She realized to late that the smile wasn't returned.

"Good." Was all the man before her answered in a very cold voice.

Orion registered the look of surprise the instant after it appeared in her eyes. And he didn't hesitate for a second more. He tightened his grip abruptly and yanked the woman into the bars of the cell. The body hit with a deadening thump against the cold steel. An instant later the woman's unconscious body slumped to the ground outside the bars.

Orion was already quickly searching through the woman's robes when Voldemort joined him at the bars.

"A few more minutes of that, Black," He whispered to the man as he continued his search, "and I would have been dating you."

Orion quickly retrieved what he was looking for and handed it to the man behind him. "Sorry. You're hardly my type." He replied flatly. "What are you going to do?"

Voldemort stepped to the center of the room, "See if I can't summon someone more your 'type'." He replied with a small, mirthless smile.

Grasping the wand between his hands as he held it in front of him, Voldemort closed his eyes and focused on the piece of polished wood. The wand wasn't his, so it would take more effort than usual to get the object to do his bidding. But slowly the wand began to glow in a soft red light. As the other three occupants of the cell watched, the light continued to deepen in color until it was completely black. It then shot straight up toward the ceiling in a near silent explosion of power, and disappeared.

The group sat in silence for a few moments, watching. Harry was about to ask the inevitable 'now what?', when the bolt of light returned, shooting down this time from the ceiling and ending in a second silent explosion as it struck the ground in a flurry of dirt and dust just outside the bars of the cage.

As the dust settled, a lone figure unfolded itself from it's robes like a flower opening itself to the morning sun.

A less accurate description could never have been made.

Standing in the spell's aftermath, was Katlin Griss.


	52. Chapter 52

A/N: There's something about spending money you don't have. It just...I don't know...makes me nervous. That was how I felt a short time ago walking out of Wally World with my three new prize orchids.

But they are very pretty.

Oh, and Chapters A & B again, folks. Q&A at the end of Chapter B.

With that said,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY A: KATLIN**

Katlin stood and looked the scene around her over carefully. Aside from her robes being a bit dusty, she looked about as unflustered as a person could under the circumstances. But then, anyone who truly knew the woman would be fairly certain that Katlin Griss could be kidnapped, tied up, tossed in the trunk of a car, driven around for hours on end, and her only comment when finally released would likely be that the drive had been a bit boring.

And not one person in the cell didn't know Katlin Griss in some form or another.

"Well, now." She said in a deceivingly soft and concerned voice as she looked over three of the caged occupants. "This is a fine mess we've gotten ourselves into, isn't it?"

But her attention quickly focused solely on Voldemort.

"What do you need of me, my lord?" She asked in a confident voice.

"I want the key to this cell, Katlin."

Katlin looked about her again.

"Where are we?"

"In a castle set somewhere within a pathway this wizard has constructed. The castle, from what we have seen, is large and very well protected."

"I'll need a disguise." Katlin stated bluntly.

"And Mr. Black has kindly provided you with one." Voldemort answered, indicating the unconscious woman outside the cage.

Katlin walked over and crouched by the woman, turning her over as she examined her features.

"I'm don't usually do actual people." She stated, looking up at Voldemort, who now stood in front of her inside the cage. "It will be close, but not exact."

"Just as long as you can move about unquestioned and find the key to this door."

"Do we know where this key is? Or what it looks like?"

Voldemort shook his head. "If it's not somewhere conspicuous, then you'll have to asked for it."

"And that wouldn't be conspicuous?"

"I'm sure you can deal with any problems, my dear."

"But my lord, still..."

"If you can't deal with the situation, Katlin, I am sure I can summon another who can!" Voldemort snapped back at his Elite.

Katlin's expression barely shifted at the tone, and only the minutest look of abashment showed in her eyes before it quickly vanished.

"It is not necessary to summon anyone else, my lord." Katlin replied evenly. "I can handle this myself."

"Then do so!" Voldemort replied, his tone as hard as ever. "And don't waste time, girl! We have no idea what their plans are concerning us."

Katlin crouched down next to the unconscious woman again. For several long minutes she seemed to simply hover above her, studying the woman's features as though she were committing every small detail to memory. But then very slowly, her own body began to blur slightly, as though it had lost any trace of a definable characteristic. When it came back into a clear focus, a near perfect duplicate of the woman stood up to face Voldemort.

"That is the best I can do." She replied. "And having never heard the woman speak, I have no idea what her voice sounded like."

"Then I suggest you talk as little as possible."

"I'll have to talk to asked questions."

Voldemort sighed to himself, then turned to Orion.

"Mr. Black spoke with the woman. I'm sure he can help you in that regard."

Orion practically shoved Voldemort out of the way as he took his place before Katlin at the bars.

From the moment Katlin had arrived, Harry had watched the scene between Katlin and Voldemort unfold with a keen interest. Knowing what he did about her now, he couldn't help but be curious about her relationship to Voldemort. Especially now that he was in the body of the person who was, essentially, her brother-in-law. But the entire time she appeared to remain as professional as ever. Not bearing so much as a hint of a smile at the man. But now he watched as the smallest trace of a smile came over Katlin's features as Orion took his place at the bars.

Harry quickly thought back to when Orion had come back to the house after Katlin had rescued him from the alleyway. And that Orion had insisted he knew what had happened, and Harry's own conclusion that only one person could have told him. Harry's unasked question still lingering even now in the back of his mind. But even had he not known about their relationship, the smile on Katlin's face would have answered the question for him as clearly as any words ever could.

"And?" Katlin asked, standing now against the bars, her hand wrapped loosely about one of them as she faced Orion.

Orion casually slipped his own hand over her's in a gesture few people would have thought twice about.

"Your voice is lower than her's. You need to bring it up a bit." He answered as casually as the gesture.

Katlin obligingly altered her voice. "Better?"

"Higher."

"Better?"

"Higher."

"Better?"

Orion frowned slightly. "It will pass. Just try not to say anything unless it's necessary."

"I won't."

"And remember what your own voice sounded like." Orion added with a whisper and a small smile. "I liked it better."

Katlin paused for a brief moment to return his smile before she stepped back over to the door of the cell. She performed a quickly spell on it, touching her wand's tip to the lock. When she was finished, she held her hand up and laid the wand in her palm. Speaking another spell, Harry watched with interest as the wand suddenly began to waver slightly, as though it was becoming unbalanced on her palm. But slowly it started to turn until it came to rest pointing at the door that led from the room.

"Don't waste any time." Voldemort told her as Katlin started for the door. "We have no idea how long before they return or what might happen when they do."

Katlin stared for a moment at Voldemort, then gave him a quick, silent nod. As Harry watched her, he saw the stare shift very naturally past Orion, where it paused ever so briefly as Katlin gave him the smallest smile before hurrying off down the passage way.

Katlin hurried along the passage way, mapping out the return trip in her mind if, for any reason, she had to return on her own without the help of her wand. She knew what was expected of her. And Voldemort would accept nothing less than her returning with the requested item as soon as possible.

She also knew she was fighting an invisible time line. She had no idea how long they had been in the cell, or what their captors plans were for them. They could be gone by the time she got back, moved to some new location, or if this wasn't the other wizard's lair, they could be moved there, where she was likely not to be able to help them any longer.

No. There was no time to think out the safest course of action. She had to take the most convenient. Find the key, or find the person who had it.

Katlin had done a quick search of the walls just outside the dungeons to see if just maybe the key had been left hanging there. But her luck wasn't that good today. There wasn't even a peg to hang a key on.

And so she pressed on, constantly consulting her wand as she looked for signs of any other people in the castle.

The first person she encountered gave her a great deal of encouragement about her appearance. The man passed her by without so much as a word or a second look. So did the second, third, and a group of about fifteen that she had to squeeze past in one corridor.

Confident in her disguise now, Katlin continued to consult her wand as it led her through several more passageways. She was beginning to question the spell's integrity now. The wand had been leading her in one direction. But suddenly it had seemed to change it's mind and turned her about, leading her back the way she had come, then changed again and pointed off in a new direction altogether. It was as though the objects she was looking for were constantly moving.

Katlin was starting to wonder just how much new wands cost these days when a man's voice called out from behind her.

Startled, Katlin nearly dropped her wand as it abruptly spun about and pointed directly at her.

Grabbing the polished stick in her hand and pressing it into her palm, Katlin turned about quickly to face the person yelling behind her.

"Connie!" The man called again, heading straight for her, catching her eye. "Where were you headed so fast? Didn't you hear me calling you?"

Katlin quickly hid her flustered expression beneath a pleasant smile.

"I'm sorry." She replied. "I was lost in thought, I guess."

"What were you doing with your wand?" The man asked, giving her a searching look.

Katlin silently cursed her luck. The man had seen her using her wand.

"It was nothing." She lied convincingly. "I was just checking it. It seems to be having some trouble lately."

"Let me see it."

Katlin paused. She had no idea if the other woman's wand was distinctive in any way, or if the man would know it on sight. But she was trapped and had no choice but to let the man see it.

Prepared to curse him if she needed to, Katlin held the wand up for him to see it. At the very least, it gave her the perfect opportunity to see what the wand had to say about the direction she needed to be heading in when she was done with the idiot delaying her. But to her surprise, the wand pointed directly at the man, wavering slightly in her hand as it did so.

Katlin very slowly raised her eyes to the man from beneath her long lashes. Her plans altered quickly in her mind as a small smile slowly crept over her lips.

"You see?" She asked in a soft, child-like voice. "What could possibly be making it do that?"

The man picked the wand up from her palm and looked it over. "It looks as though it's working a spell." He replied. "Did you cast one recently?"

Katlin gave the man a confused look, then shook her head. "I don't think so."

The man gave her a playful smile. "Well, have Charly take a look at it tomorrow. He's good with wands when they start acting up. Besides," He added, suddenly wrapping her in his arms and pulling her to him, "I have better ideas of what we could be doing than standing here wondering what's wrong with your wand."

Katlin's smile deepened. It looked as though her luck were changing.

"Really?" She asked in a low purr. "Do tell."


	53. Chapter 53

A/N: Actually, as far as my orchids go, you should see my collection!

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY B: ADDING TO THE MIX**

Orion was the first in the cage to hear the sounds coming down the corridor towards them. At first it was just obscure sounds. But eventually they became louder and Orion could distinctly hear a woman giggling as the sound grew closer to them. As he stood at the bars, Katlin came stumbling into the room, a large, burly looking man practically on top of her as he stumbled against her.

"Now, what did you want to come down here for, Connie?" He asked, backing her up to a large stone pillar that helped support the chamber ceiling.

Katlin never once turned around or paid those in the cell any notice at all as she fixed her violent eyes on the man before her.

"Because it's more private down here then upstairs." She purred at him, two arms caressing their way over his arms. "Don't you agree?"

The man seemed all too ready to agree with her when he suddenly noticed the four captives in the cage.

"Here! Who are they?"

Katlin grabbed the man by the sides of his head and focused his attention back on her.

"What does it matter?" She asked in a slightly irritated voice. "I thought you wanted to be alone with me?"

"Well, we're hardly alone." The man stated, looking over the four in the cage again. "Here! One of them's a little kid. We can't be doing things like this in front of a little kid."

Katlin turned the man back to her again with a sigh of exasperation. Merlin's Beard, the man had the attention span of an ox!

"Once more." She asked in her low purr. "What would you rather be doing? Discussing four prisoners," she asked with a seductive smile, "or discussing some of those wonderful plans you said you had in mind for me?"

The man took one last look at the four prisoners, then turned back to Katlin. A lustful smile came over his face as he stared down at her. "Well, maybe its about time the kid learned a thing or two."

Arabella quickly slapped a hand over Harry's eyes as the man grabbed Katlin in his arms and backed her up forcefully against the pillar behind her.

Harry let out a small, exacerbated sigh, but did nothing to remove his godmother's hand. From the sounds alone, he was getting more of an education than he wanted.

Katlin quickly had both arms wrapped about the man under his shirt, her hands rapidly searching for what she needed. No easy task when the man was trying his level best to get his hands on as many parts of her body as he could reach.

All of this Orion watched through the bars past narrowed eyes. He never said a word or made a single move. But the mounting tension was almost a physical thing surrounding him.

Standing at the bars in front of him, Voldemort watched the scene with a certain interest. He had to admire Katlin's single-mindedness, but he was likely closer to cursing the man into non-existence than Orion was.

But only moments after the man had started making grabs at her, Katlin freed one hand and held it behind her next to the pillar, well in sight of the two men at the cage bars.

In her hand lay a large, brass key.

Voldemort pulled out the wand and summoned the object. It slid slowly to the edge of her fingers, then suddenly fell out of her hand and landed on the dirt floor, refusing to move further. Voldemort murmured a soft curse. The dampening wards around the cage had made it difficult enough to summon his Elite, and only his tie to her, stronger than any of his other followers, had allowed him to make the connection. But apparently they were plenty strong enough to shield any outside object from his magical summons.

Pulling her head to the side, Katlin look over her shoulder and down at the floor. Seeing the key laying in the dirt, she sighed quietly. Maneuvering her foot a bit, she gave it a solid kick and sent it flying into the bars of the cage with a loud clank.

The man instantly reacted to the noise, looking up from his current position of having his face buried in Katlin's current, ample chest.

"Here!" He exclaimed, looking around her. "What was that?"

"Nothing you need to list within your current realm of worries." Katlin said in a very hard, very dangerous tone.

"Katlin!" Orion called from the cage even as Voldemort was grabbing the key off the floor. "Don't kill him!"

Katlin turned back to Orion, who was still standing at the bars of the cage nearest her. She already had her hands wrapped about the collar of the man's shirt while he gave her a very surprised look.

"I'm not going to kill him." She replied, turning suddenly to the man as she dragged him down until he was face to face with her. "I'm just going to hurt him a lot." She hissed at him between clenched teeth.

The man made some small sound as Katlin half backed, half dragged him through the opening to the dungeon.

Katlin returned by the time the four were out of the cell, dragging the unconscious man behind her.

"Well, you couldn't have hurt him much." Orion observed as she dragged him over to where the woman's body had been concealed behind a small outcropping of wall. "You weren't gone that long."

"I didn't believe you wanted to wait while I took care of the little crettin properly." She replied formally enough, dropping the man in a heap to the floor.

Still holding the other woman's wand, Voldemort looked over the situation. "It's best if we kill them both." He stated matter-of-factly. "That way they can't report what they may have heard."

But Arabella stepped forward quickly.

"No!"

Voldemort gave her an irritated look. "Why not?"

"This wizard seems to take it very personally how we treat his people." Arabella pointed out, turning to Voldemort. "If we kill two of his people, there's no telling how he'll retaliate."

Voldemort tapped the wand against the palm of his hand. "Well, since he already seems irritated enough at us to send his guards out with orders to kill us, perhaps I should make it for something really worth his while?"

Arabella grabbed the wand as Voldemort directed at the woman's unconscious body.

"Or maybe he'll start being a bit more selective." She stated quickly.

Voldemort frowned at her. "Explain."

"Haven't you noticed anything about these attacks?" She ask. "Each time they were more aggressive. The first trap we were able to get out of. The second not so much so. And each time Becca appeared right before or right after to warn us off again. Where is she this time? She hasn't made her usual appearance."

"Maybe she's grown bored with us."

"Or maybe this time we're not being given a reprieve based on how this wizard sees us. Maybe he's decided we're all just cold-blooded killers who can't be reasoned with. So perhaps it's time we send him a different message."

"Which would be?"

"That we don't kill if we can avoid it."

"Then what do you suggest we do with them?" Voldemort ask, his frown deepening. "Ask them to kindly keep their mouths shut?"

"Leave them in the cage and lock the door. A good memory charm could take them days to undo. By then we may be back at Hogwarts."

"She has a good point." Katlin stated, coming up to the group. "There's no use in making trouble if you don't have to. If you would like, I can take them back to the lair with me. Hold them there. If this wizard is so interested in his peoples well-being, they may make useful hostages."

"I don't think his interest will extend to hostages." Arabella replied.

Katlin turned to her. "Why not?"

"If we take them, he may retaliate for that. I say it's best to leave them. Show this wizard we aren't all bent on..." But she stopped as she turned to Voldemort.

"Killing?" He asked.

Arabella stared back at him for a moment. "It does seem to be your answer to all life's little problems." She finally answered.

Voldemort stared at her for a moment, then shifted his attention back to Katlin. "Despite Arabella's reasoning, I have to agree with her on leaving these two here, Katlin. And I need you here for the moment, not back at the lair."

"For what purpose?"

"I need information on this wizard. We also need our wands back and whatever else they took from us. Mr. Black can give you a list. And one person, trained for such matters, will stand a better chance of retrieving our stolen property then all of us stumbling about this place. We'll continue on. You can catch up to us later, or I can bring you to us if you're in danger."

"But if we leave the other two here," Harry put in quickly, "and they eventually find them, they'll know Katlin isn't that woman."

Katlin turned to him, not one ounce of warmth in her stare. "I can shift my appearance quickly enough, if that's what you're worried about, Mr. Potter." She stated empirically. "If they find her before I'm done, I'll just become someone else. So don't worry about me. I know how to keep myself safe."

Harry stared back at her, thinking he caught just the barest trace of a smile before being herded out of the room by Arabella.

Voldemort step up to his Elite. "If there is trouble, call, and I will summon you to us. Don't try to apparate on your own. The magic in this corridor is not what you are use to."

Katlin nodded slightly to him, watching him follow Lupin, Harry and Arabella out of the doorway. She then turned a warm smile to Orion as he stepped up to her, laying a hand on her cheek. Without a word he pulled her into a deep kiss, releasing her a few seconds later and following the others without looking back. But he stopped long enough at the man's body to deliver a well placed kick that rewarded him with a slight moan from the man.

Orion leaned down to him.

"That was my wife you were pawing like a piece of meat, dog." He whispered to him. "And I did not appreciate it."

The man moaned again as Orion stood back up and hurried after the others, leaving Katlin to sort out the two captives.

**Q&A**

MasterLupin:

**hmm. Is the wizard in the North Dumbeldore? Is the wizard in the North in some way interacting with Dumbeldore? It seems that Katlin will use some ninja skills to bail them out of jail.**

WOW! Someone's been staying up late at night formulating theories again!

Mind you, it's absolutely, positively, unquestionably wrong. But I like it!

Actually Dear, nice piece of guesswork, but no, the wizard in the north is not Dumbledore. The wizard actually does have his own personality and is a separate person or persons all together.

Is he interacting with Dumbledore? No Dear, accept to keep a minor eye on Dumbledore's activities. The person the wizard is most interested in is currently a member of our little band of adventurers.

Ninja skills? Ummm..., not quite. Just good old basic kneecap breaking. Katlin takes a great deal of exception to being pawed by other men. She is, after all, now a married woman and mother. And Thomas, her oldest, would likely have beaten the snotties out of this man faster than his father. He's very protective of his Mum.

Makes a mother proud, don't it?

Silverfox:

**I'd never evenconsider the possibility that you'd do anything in your story just to appease a character's fan club, my dear. You're far too good for that.  
Talon's control over Voldemort by sacrificing Bo: Step one, let Voldemort believe that the bogart is extreemely powerful. Step two, wait until Voldemort posesses Bo. Step three, declare Voldegart a member of the family so he can continue to house the power. Step four, command power to control Voldemort for you. The only thing you lose is your loveable hyper three year old bogart ...**  
**That's interesting. From your earlier answers I very much go the impression that Talon did in fact hate the power for what it did to his father. Then again the power on its own and Bo might not be entirely the same thing to him, I suppose. Anyway, getting control of the Dark Lord might well be worth the loss of one Bo even, if you don't hate him.  
"Talon's relationship to the boggart, and how he treats him, is based very solidly on Talon's belief that the only way Bo is harmless is to keep him on a tight leash. You can't do that with something you are intimately involved with. ... He feels Orion treats Bo far too much like a playmate. And that should Orion one day have to make some very hard choices regarding Bo or the safety of the community at large, Orion won't be able to make the right choice, fearing losing his friend." And couldn't the same be said of Voldemort? Could it be that sacrificing Bo to get control of Voldemort would be just such a hard choice?  
"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity." You said it.**

The fan club thing was just a thought. And if I were to try and appease anyone's, it would be Lupin's. I mean, Sirius' has sort of disbanded for the obvious reasons.

Well, good in theory. The problem is, I won't say for sure that such a radical change wouldn't invalidate Talon's control over the 'Power'. I simply haven't fleshed the character out enough to guarantee that as a 'yes' or 'no' thing. Interesting thought though. Could make a good story plot.

(PAR runs off to make notes.)

OK. Back now.

Anyway, I'll have to put some thought into that.

But in the end I would have to say the family would think long and hard about letting anything happen to Bo. They really do like him pretty much the way he is.

BINGO! Yes, Dear. Two totally different things here. And actually, to say Talon hates the 'Power', you would have to use the past tense. 'Hated'. And he did hate it. With a vengeance. However, with age comes a certain wisdom, I suppose. Something that was never entirely spelled out in the stories or the review Q&A's. But as he grew up, Talon came to realize that the 'Power' wasn't entirely to blame. Each host is warned about what using the 'Power' could result in. The choice to use it, therefore, was their's. And so is the responsibility for the consequences. Now, knowing that doesn't automatically make everything all right. But it does take the edge off one's anger a little. After all, keep in mind that the 'Power' is 'just visiting' in our realm (so to speak) and really doesn't have a lot of knowledge about it's current home. It's a non-corporal entity suddenly given a corporeal body. It's bound to be a bit confusing for it. So it just does the best it can with the help of it's host. And to be honest, the 'Power', as you'll see in later stories, is somewhat (and I use that word with firm intentions) ignorant of what it does to it's host when he draws off of it. But in the end, Talon is a lot more tolerant of Bo than he is of the 'Power', respectively speaking. To him, they are two separate entities. He has nothing against the boggart. He just feels that since it now houses the 'Power', it needs to be kept on a very short leash. Talon can see the potential for absolute disaster here, where as at times, Orion can not.

All I'm saying, is that in the future, yes, Orion is going to have to make some very hard choices concerning his friend. Would he sacrifice Bo to gain control of Voldemort? I would have to, at this time, say 'no'. Because Orion would not see it as a fair trade.

You have to understand the difference between Orion and his father here. Talon sees Bo as a tool. Something he controls and uses as little as possible. But when he does use it, the 'Power' answers only to him. Would Talon sacrifice Bo to gain control of Voldemort? Without a second thought. To him it would be just trading in one annoyance for another. So what's the diff?

Orion see Bo as sort of an extension of himself. He's a friend, a companion, a slightly naive younger sibling, a good ear to bend, a teacher, mentor, occasional family pet, and all around multi-purpose fan club. All in all, Orion doesn't see Bo as something to be 'used', but more as someone who'll be there whenever he needs him, doing what he asks without question.

And it is these fundamental differences in how each sees the boggart that are the main relationship problems between father and son. But in the end, the final word will always be Talon's.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome chapter! And Orion! Pure genius! I love him. He is so awesome! And of course your clever. It's beyond clever! It's absolutely brilliant! I love it! **

You're very good for my ego, Dear. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story and you take the time each chapter to let me know. Even my ego, happy and content though it is, can stand a little stroking now and then.

All reviews are as of 02/11/2007.

And remember;

Message to try on your answering machine:

Hi...OK, now you say something.


	54. Chapter 54

A/N: Slow week. Not much to say, except there's two chapters again this week. Part A and part B. I'm either going to have to make my chapters shorter or FFN is going to have to scale up their download size.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY-ONE A: A NEW OFFER**

Working their way through the corridors of the castle the group soon found was like trying to find your way in a maze. Corridors that they would start out in would suddenly take a sharp turn, and then another, and then another, until the group wasn't sure what direction they were headed in anymore. Only in passing the occasional window were they able to at least ascertain their direction by the position of the sun.

The other problem they encountered was more of a group leadership one. Voldemort was all for getting them out of the castle as soon as possible. Orion constantly bulked at the idea, saying that leaving before Katlin could catch up to them was not a good idea.

"It's not going to be a problem." Voldemort has stated more than once. "No matter where we go, I can summon her to us as long as I have a wand."

"And if you'll remember," Orion countered, "that wand you have is the only one we have. We need all our wands back if we're to stand a chance of defending ourselves, and that is what your Elite is suppose to be doing for us."

"And she will. But there is no need for us to stand around waiting for her. Once she has them I will summon her."

"And that wand you have isn't yours." Orion pointed out. "How do you know that once outside this castle you'll be able to use it to summon her? The last time you did it was from inside the castle."

"It'll make no difference." The dark lord stated with certainty.

"And what if the castle isn't there anymore?"

Voldemort stopped and turned to him. "Why shouldn't it be?"

Orion gave a small smile at the man's lack of memory on the subject. "As you'll recall," he answered helpfully, "this castle appeared out of nowhere, solely for our entertainment. Or more so, for the wizard's. My guess is as soon as we make our way free of it, it'll disappear again, taking your Elite with it."

Voldemort had no immediate response to the Unspeakable's belief, but from his expression it was clear he didn't like it.

"So we wait." Orion added quickly, his tone broaching no room for argument.

Voldemort frowned, but offered no opposition this time. "And what would you suggest we do in the meantime, Mr. Black?"

Almost in answer to his question, a small flash of light appeared in front of them. In it's aftermath stood a now all too familiar figure.

Orion's hands positively ached to wrap themselves around the girl's neck. But logic won out as he reminded himself that they needed her if they were ever to find this wizard and stop him. More and more, every question he posed to himself about their mysterious adversary came back to his servant. And if they were ever to find him, Orion was becoming more and more certain that the key to that task was standing before them now.

"Why are you persisting?" Becca asked in her usual louder than normal voice, spoken as though she were talking to someone truly dimwitted. "Has my master not been...?"

"More than generous." Orion finished for her. "Yes, yes. We've heard that a hundred times, Becca. Or at least once for every time you've graced us with your presence." OK. He needed her help to find the wizard. But a little sarcasm went a long way towards easing an ache.

"If your master is so generous," Voldemort quickly took over the exchange, "why did he see fit to lock us in a cage?"

Becca looked around. "You are in no cage." She stated simply. "And if you are referring to this castle, you may leave it at any time."

Voldemort jumped on the offer. "Fine. Then we wish..."

Orion grabbed the man by the arm and literally pulled him out of the way, effectively cutting off a wish Orion was sure would spell disaster for one missing member of their group.

"Becca," he ask, "why did you think we meant this castle when we said we were in a cage?"

The girl gave him a strange, confused look, then gestured around them. "Because you are not in any other cage." She replied.

"But we were." He answered her. "Your master captured us and put us there."

Becca looked at him as though she though he believed her the dimwitted one. "You are not in a cage." She stated firmly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Not anymore." Orion replied. "We escaped."

Becca huffed at the notion. "How very fortunate for you." She stated in a tone of utter disbelief.

"But we were." A new voice spoke up from behind the two men.

Harry quickly pushed his way between Orion and Voldemort, standing finally to face the girl standing a few feet still down the corridor. "As soon as we came into the castle your master's people attacked us. We were captured and put in a cage. Why don't you believe us?"

Becca seemed at a loss for an immediate answer to the teenager's question. Instead she simply stood there for a few minutes, staring at him as though he were the most interesting thing in the whole world to her. But finally she shook herself from her trance and turned back to the group.

"My master has come to the end of his patience with you. You have continued to refuse his generous offers. I see no other answer for this situation than the one he has come up with."

Orion quickly grabbed a Harry by the shoulders and pulled him back behind him and Voldemort, directing the teenager back to the protection of Lupin and Arabella. He didn't like the sound of Becca's pronouncement one bit, and was fairly certain he knew what her master's 'answer for this situation' was. However, before he could ask Becca any further questions , Voldemort again directed to girl's attention to him.

"What is it exactly your master wants?" He ask.

Becca appeared startled by the question. But her features quickly took on a deep frown. "For you to leave. He wishes only to be left in peace."

"For what?" Orion quickly ask.

Becca stopped at the question, again taking up to simply staring back at them.

Voldemort, never being one for inaction, took a step towards her, the stolen wand prominently displayed in his hand as he glared back at her. "If your master wants peace, I can promise him that should he continue on his present course of actions, that is the last thing he will have. He has come into my land, tried to establish himself as some upstart to my rule, killed my people, and he states he wants peace? Well, I have a message for your master, girl. You tell him the one who needs to leave is him. If he leaves, I can promise no further harm will come to him."

The girl regarded the dark lord's speech with at best a bored expression. "My master has no interest in you or your 'rule', Voldemort, Lord of the Deatheaters. Such things are beneath him. However, he does respect you. And he respects your power. Therefore, and since you feel he has wronged you, he is willing to make a bargain with you."

Orion wasn't sure he liked this new direction that things were going in, but he had to admit he was interested enough to stay silent for the moment and see what direction Voldemort would move in.

"What bargain?" Voldemort ask in a flat, hard voice.

"My master has no interest in you or in your rule, Lord Voldemort. He says that you may leave now. Go back to where you came from with no further harm to you. He will leave you in the peace you desire. All he asks in return is that you leave the boy here."

Voldemort paused as though actually considering the offer. "And the others?" He ask finally.

Becca paused for a moment, but then in one even movement raised her wand, pointing it in an unquestionably straight line at the woman standing behind him. "They are to be killed."

"No!"

Without a seconds hesitation, Voldemort turned and grabbed Arabella around the waist, pulling her down as the spell cut by her shoulder. Pulling quickly back around, Voldemort now faced the girl with absolute fury in his eyes.

"Worthless filth!" He sneered at her, bringing the wand he held back up. "You try that again...try harming anyone here again, and you will feel the vengeance of Lord Voldemort! Now," he stated fiercely, pointing the wand at her, "you go back to your master, and you tell him that Voldemort, Lord of the Deatheaters, will not be bargained with. If he wants a bargain, I will give him one. He may surrender to me now, with his nest of rats, and I will see that they all are given a swift and painless death. Otherwise, he may rest assured that I have started on my course and I intend to finish it. And when I come to him, he will know my displeasure. And I will take a great deal of delight in seeing just how long it takes him to die."

"Do you honestly ever listen to yourself?" Orion put in briefly before Becca answered Voldemort's challenge.

The stare the girl leveled on Voldemort was the coldest she could muster. "My master does not fear you, Lord Voldemort." She hissed back at him. "And he will defend what is his. Do not underestimate him, nor overestimate yourself. Stop this now, while you still can, while my master is still of a generous mood." She quickly turned her attention back to the group as a whole. "Leave the boy and you may all return to your homes safely. No further harm will come to you."

Arabella quickly drew Harry back to her as Voldemort once again addressed the girl.

"Does your master think it is that easy? Separate me from his Secretkeeper and it ends there?" He took several more steps towards the girl. "Well, I have news for him, and for you, little witch. I don't need the boy any longer to find your master. The path is clear enough that a child could follow it. For every time we get closer, he sends you out to try and dissuade us from going on. He has fought his best, it seems, to make this quest as easy for us as he can."

Becca stood her ground. "Then give us the boy." She stated.

"No." came the instant reply.

Becca smiled at the answer. "You still need him."

"No." Voldemort answered calmly. "But you can not have him just the same."

"Because you still need him." She answered smugly.

Voldemort fixed a cold stare on the girl. "Because he is mine." He answered quietly. "And I protect what is mine."

Becca seemed to consider his statement for a moment before turning her attention back to them all. "So be it," was all she said before she disappeared.

The group stood in silence for a moment. But finally it was Harry who spoke up.

"I don't get it." He said, causing Voldemort to turn his attention back to him. "What's he trying to prove?"

Voldemort turned to the teenager, arching one eyebrow as he stared down at him. "Prove?"

Harry turned his attention to the older wizard. "This man is suppose to be some great, powerful wizard." He stated. "So why doesn't he just..."

"Get it over with?" Voldemort supplied as Harry searched for the right word.

Harry nodded. "It's like we're just rats in his maze and he's playing with us."

"Or testing us." Voldemort stated.

"Testing?"

"What better way to defeat your enemy than to know his strengths going into battle?"

"So what strength was he trying to prove here?"

"Loyalty." Orion answered. "He's trying to sort out where our group is weak and that's where he'll likely attack."

Voldemort turned to the Unspeakable. "Astute, Mr. Black." He stated. "Truly, your powers of observation never cease to amaze me."

"My question," Orion answered the older wizard, "is why did you give him what you did?"

"He's looking for a leader." Voldemort replied. "I gave him one."

"Which means he's all the more likely to focus his attacks on you from now on."

Voldemort gave the man a mirthless smile. "Worried for my safety, Mr. Black?"

"Try my brother's." Orion answered. "Whatever happens to you, happens to Sirius. Getting yourself killed will only effective kill him as well."

The man's smile vanished, replaced by a cold hard line. "Touching." He replied.

"It wasn't meant to be." Orion pointed out. "But on that note, I want to talk to my brother."

Voldemort looked slightly affronted. "For what reason?"

"First off, to simply know he is all right."

"He is" Came the short reply.

"I'd like to hear it from him. And secondly, I want to hear his take on all of this."

"All of this?"

"Sirius is a master strategist, Voldemort. I want his take on what this wizard has done so far. So if you'd be so kind..."

Again the older wizard looked totally affronted. "You think I know nothing about strategy?" He snapped back. "I have been leading the Deatheaters for years. I built my power up from nothing but a child's dreams. That, Mr. Black, took planning and intelligence, the likes of which I am sure your brother has yet to match in his scant few years as opposed to my experience."

"So sure of that, are you?" Orion replied flatly.

Voldemort fixed his gaze on the younger man. "Fine. I hope it affords you at least something for the effort this costs me."

"Trust me, it will." Orion answered as he watched the exchange take place.


	55. Chapter 55

A/N: Not sayin' nothin' 'cept this is the first time where within a story I named two chapters exactly the same thing.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY-ONE B: REUNIONS (With no connection to Chapter Nine)**

The body swayed slightly before opening its eyes again. Orion grabbed one arm before looking hopefully at the face before him. "Sirius?"

A tired nod answered him.

Orion barely managed to remain on his feet as a blur of brown hair smacked him in the face as the person all but shoved him out of the way.

"Sirius!" Arabella cried out with joy as she landed sounded in his arms. An openly deep kiss quickly followed as Sirius gathered his senses back together and hauled the woman before him into his arms.

Harry sighed as a hand snapped itself over his eyes.

"Right." He stated to his former teacher standing behind him. "Like I've never seen this before."

Orion was about to break things up when for the second time in as many minutes, a figure plowed into him from the side corridor he was standing in.

Knocked off balance for a few minutes, Orion quickly righted himself again, ready to take on his attacker when he found himself facing the very disgruntled expression of his wife.

"Really, Mr. Black!" She stated in a manner that conveyed nothing but her displeasure at the run-in. "For an Unspeakable, you're not very observant!"

Orion only favored her with a broad smile. "Happy to see you too, Love."

"Very nice entrance though, Katlin." Sirius offered.

Katlin quickly turned a questioning glance to the man behind her, taking in the scene for the first time.

"Sirius?" She questioned, looking over the man who still had his fiancee wrapped in his arms.

Sirius frowned at her. "Well, I would hope so." He replied, turning to Arabella. "Or someone has some definite explaining to do."

With that explanation tucked away, Katlin turned immediately back to her husband, her whole expression softening. "In that case," She practically purred, "hello, Mr. Black."

Orion smiled back at her. "Hello, Mrs. Black. Still upset at running into me?"

Katlin shook her head. "Nicest thing to happen to me in days." She replied before her husband yanked her up hard against his body and dove down to cover her mouth with his.

"Children present!" Came the call from the back of the group as Lupin again slapped his hand over Harry's eyes to the teenager's exasperated sigh.

"And if you'd remover your hand he might actually learn a thing or two." Orion stated as he pulled back from his wife with a slight frown.

"Seen enough, thanks." Came the stoic reply.

As the two separated, Lupin cautiously removed his hand.

Catching sight of her, Harry gave Katlin a welcoming smile. "I'm glad you're back. I was starting to worry."

Katlin returned the smile without hesitation this time. "I told you not to worry about me, Harry. I can take care of myself." She replied. Turning to him, she placed a kiss on his cheek. "But you're sweet to worry. Thank you."

Orion quickly brought her attention back to him. "And did you bring me a present, Love?" He ask sincerely, holding out his hand.

Katlin gave him an exasperated look as she put her hand into her robes and pulled out five wands. "Yes. But you'll have to wait until we get home for it. In the meantime, these will have to do."

Orion quickly passed the wands back to each of their owners as Katlin walked over to Harry. Reaching into her robes she pulled another object out of her robes and placed it in his hand.

"And I believe this is yours, Harry." She said.

Harry looked down to see the small magical stone Dumbledore had given him now sitting in the palm of his hand.

"How did you know it was mine?" He ask.

Katlin gave him a small smile. "Because I know what it is." She answered. "And it had to belong to one of you, since the wizard's people would have no use for it. A simple spell told me who placed the charm on it and that left only one person he would have given it to. Really, why must people make things sound so very difficult when they are actually very simple."

Orion tapped his wife on the shoulder. "Love, you said you knew what it was for."

Katlin quickly nodded.

"And?"

The Elite gave her husband a surprised smile. "You don't know?" She ask. "You, of all people, don't know what that is?"

Orion frowned. "So sue me."

"I should smack you. All that says for you, Mr. Black, is you sat in the back row of your charms class doing something other than learning diddle about charms."

"Trust me, I was learning charming."

"You weren't learning it. You were practicing it would be my guess."

"So, what is it for?" Harry ask.

But before Katlin could ask Sirius plucked the stone out of his godson's hand and held it up to the light. "Well, I wasn't wasting time learning to be charming in the back row of my charms classes." He stated as he examined the stone.

"Wasn't a waste of time." Orion stated under his breath.

Katlin ignored him as she turned back to her brother-in-law. "Well?"

Sirius rolled the stone over for a few moments, then handed it back to Harry. "It's a portkey." He announced with satisfaction.

Katlin shook her head. "Close, but no cigar. It's a homing stone."

"A homing stone?" Harry ask.

"Well, actually, it's sort of a reversal of the stone I gave you." She explained. "Or more accurately, the stone I gave you is a reversal of this one. The stone I gave you brings me to you whenever you use it. This stone will bring you to wherever the person who gave it to you is. In this case, I would guess it would take you back to Hogwarts."

Orion picked the stone up and looked it over. "Well, that explains why Dumbledore called it an emergency escape if we needed it. The question is, will it work against the magic in this corridor?"

Sirius took the stone from his brother and placed it back in his godson's hand. "Let's hope we never need to find out."

**Q&A**

Skahducky:

**Sorry, I always keep forgetting how much Voldemort knows about Orion and Katlin. He knows they're together, but he thinks they're just doing it for information, right? He doesn't know that they have kids or anything, right?  
You know, I thought Voldemort was either going to cast the Dark Mark into the sky so that the Auror would know where they are or somehow summon Death Eates. Well, I guess he did the latter by getting Katlin, though I'm not quite sure how he did that.  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

Sorry I missed you last time, Dear. You sort of came in right under the wire. When I went to post my story, there was your review.

On to the questions. And again, I'm sorry. I know this gets a bit confusing some times. And it is by no means my readers fault that they can't keep up with Orion and Katlin's ever changing relationship, since as the situations change, occasionally I have to make adjustments as to who knows what and how much. With that said, allow me to lay out the situation as it stands today.

Voldemort does know that Orion and Katlin are 'an item'. Kind of hard to hide that. He does not know they are married. Will he find out? Probably. Just not in the near future.

Now, the next part is a good bit sticker. Does Voldemort know they have children? Well, yes...and no. He knows Orion has five children. He views Katlin's part in that group as little more than Orion managing to get free child care in exchange for sex.

How Voldemort summoned Katlin was a bit tricky and if nothing else, sketchy in the reading. It was one of those 'you had to read between the lines' things, Dear. Voldemort stated that the person he had the greatest chance of being able to summon without using his own wand was Katlin due to his closer than usual connection to her as opposed to any of his other Deatheaters. Once he summoned her, Katlin had to connect to the magical link Voldemort had set up, and then it was a simple case of following it to its source. In other words, due to the fact that he did not have his own wand, all Voldemort was able to do with the one he had was send out a call. It was up to Katlin whether or not to answer it.

**I think Orion said something about being back at Hogwarts soon. Does that mean he intends to stop searching for the wizard? Why did they discount the possibility that the wizard's not in the lair? Anyways, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

No. If anything, after this chapter, and his last interchange with Becca, Orion is more determined than ever to find the man. But currently, his reasons are his own. But make no mistake, Orion suspects a great deal about what is actually going on. And it is through his conversations with Becca that he gathering the pieces of his own puzzle and putting them together.

The reason the discounted the possibility that they were in the wizard's lair was laid out in the one chapter. Too easy. Too convenient. If you're trying to keep someone from finding you, you don't open your doors and invite them in, true?

MasterLupin:

**The wizard in the north will find out what Orion said to the man and know about the relationship of him to Katlin, then assuming that he has better knowledge then Voldemort will use the relationship/ and or their children to his/their advantage. Possibly trying to get Harry to agree to see him alone, under the premise that if he dose no one will be hurt.**

You're doing it again, Dear. You're getting hard to answer.

First off, no, the wizard in the north did not hear what Orion said to the man pawing his wife. Does he know about their actual relationship? Ummmmm..., not entirely. He knows there is one. But then again, who doesn't! But Orion and Katlin are extremely careful when it comes to their marital status, even to the point they never wear their rings where they are visible. Katlin wears her's around her neck, hanging on the same chain as the pendant Orion first gave her. Orion never wears his except when he needs to. Such was the point behind its appearance at the adoption agency when he went to collect Harry. It provided the people at the agency with the picture of a stable 'married' man taking possession of a child. Appearance can be so important in those circumstances.

Using their children against them or to his advantage? Ha! You haven't met the kids yet. Thomas, the oldest, is something akin to Harry, but in a different vein. He is a very powerful wizard in his own right. And the person with the most interest in him isn't the person you would think. And the interest that person is showing in the teenager is a constant source of concern for his two adoptive parents, who keep a very close eye on the relationship.

Justin is more of The Ransom of Red Chief sort of scenario. You could try to take him hostage, but in the end, you'd be willing to pay his parents to take him back. Kid's a handful. What can I say.

Lucy? I doubt the wizard would survive three minutes with a hyped up, fashion-conscience hormones-running-rampant teenage girl.

Vincent? Probably debate him to death on the lack of merits of hostage taking. The only person I can think of off hand that could probably enjoy the boy's company without a book present would be Lupin. Maybe Dumbledore. For his adoptive parents, he's a dream come true. The boy actually wants to learn things.

Now Katy? Pleeeease! The man would be screaming into the night in under five minutes. She may only be three, but she's all three. Makes Bo look positively well behaved.

Now, THERE'S an interesting prediction! Considering this chapter, you came pretty close with that one. But the wizard isn't trying to get Harry to see him alone. You're on the right track here, Dear, and darned near all your passengers were on board before the train pulled away from the station.

What you need to keep in mind is what was laid out in this chapter. The wizard's goals are currently to feel out the group and establish what their dynamics are. Once he has those, he'll use them to forward his own ends.

Silverfox:

**Ep! That was just a thought. The last thing I want is to cause any harm to come to Bo.  
Yes, I'm quite aware that Orion wouldn't make that choice. I was talking of Talon here, because at the end of the day he still is the host and there wouldn't be much Orion could do, if Talon decided to sacrifice Bo. (I suppose I was talking both of Orion-Bo and Talon-Bo there ...)**

Well, that's an interesting question really, Dear. Would Talon actually sacrifice Bo? In the end, I would say it would depend on the question 'Sacrifice him for what?'.

Not much Orion could do about it? Don't bet on it. Talon may be the host, but Orion is still the Channeler. In the end, yes, Talon is host and Bo must answer to him. But Orion can still tap into the 'Power' and there is nothing Talon can do to stop that. In effect, Bo would be forced to fight himself. All of which makes Orion a force to be reckoned with. As I have often said, if there were ever a fight between Orion and his father, it would be messy.

If Talon ever did decide to sacrifice Bo, for whatever reason, somehow I do not see Orion sitting back and saying 'Sure, Dad. I understand.'.

Again, it would be messy.

All reviews are as of 02/17/2006

And remember;

Happyhappyhappy birthday to my Mom. If it weren't in part for her, I wouldn't be here!


	56. Chapter 56

A/N: There's one thing you can say about me without fail. It's I hate being sick. Probably why I do it so rarely. But so have I been since last Wednesday and I freely admit to being a pain in everyone's arse since. With that said I can say this chapter came along just in time. I loved writing it and hope you enjoy reading it. It introduces probably the cutest character I've ever brought into a story since Bo - Roland. Who and what Roland is will be more than apparent by the end of this chapter. But I will give credit where credit is due. Roland was born out of a germ of an idea that came to me from a Snape/Hermione G-Rated story called 'Teacher's Pet'. It was unbelievably cute with wonderful illustrations. One small problem though, is I can't remember the name of the author of the story. But I can not recommend it enough.

Oh, and yes, part A and B...again.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY-TWO A: ROLAND**

For nearly the next hour the group moved slowly through the corridors. To Harry it seemed to progress was more just to keep them from staying in any one place too long as Orion took the lead, conversing every step of the way with his brother. Too far back to hear what they were saying, Harry watched what they were doing more than anything to try and get an idea of what was going on and if Sirius could help sort out any further what the wizard was up to. But nothing much in Sirius' expression changed aside from when he would occasionally glance back at him, favoring his godson with a small smile before turning his attention back to his older brother.

But finally, having allowed what he had categorized as an unprecedented amount of time for idle chit-chat, Voldemort again took control of Sirius' body, warning Orion that it would be some time before he could allow the transfer again. Such things were simply taxing the body too much.

After what seemed like hours of walking through the of the castle, Harry began to notice a series of cages that began to appear in the corridor they were currently in. There seemed no rhyme or reason to how they were hung. Some were hung from the ceiling. Others from posts off the walls. Some were a bit larger than others while others were so small Harry had no idea what they could possibly be used for. The only logic in them seemed that none of them were hung close together.

But try as he might, he couldn't see high enough to see what was in the them or what their function was.

"What do you think these cages are for?" Harry finally asked the wizard next to him.

Voldemort turned to one of the tiny wire boxes he was just walking under. "How should I know?" He answered the teenager irritably.

"They have to be for something." Harry observed. "There's an awful lot of them."

"And as long as I'm not in one of them, I really don't care." Voldemort replied, giving one of the cages overhead a cursory glance.

Harry sighed to himself and continued to walk along.

A bit further down the corridor he saw one of the cage's hanging close to a large stone base that was just high enough that he would be able to reach the cage. Hopping up on the stone, Harry reached up to the cage as Voldemort turned back to him.

"Potter!" He hissed at the boy. "What are you doing?"

"It could be important." Harry replied, tilting the cage as he grabbed the bottom of it, trying to angle it for a better look. But he suddenly let out a small cry as a shower of white sticks fell out of the cage and hit him in the face.

Startled, Harry stepped back and slipped off his stone perch, falling on his backside onto the dirt floor with a slight yelp.

The first person at his side was Voldemort, who was giving him a none to gentle hand back to his feet.

"What are you trying to do?" The dark wizard asked. "Alert the whole bloody castle to our escape?"

But Harry wasn't paying much attention to Voldemort. Most of his attention was focused on the pile of white sticks laying scattered about his feet.

"Bones." Harry whispered. "They're bones."

Voldemort turned to see what Harry was looking at.

Scattered about the boy's feet indeed were an array of small bones. None of them much larger than those of a chicken. Mixed among the grizzly discovery was the unmistakable triangular shape of a skull with two protruding fangs.

"A snake." Voldemort stated quietly, carefully picking up the white skull and looking it over in the light of the burning torch. "These are the bones of a snake."

Orion and the others joined the other two in their discovery.

"But why a snake?" The Unspeakable questioned, looking at the cage from where the bones had come. "Why put a snake in a cage and let it die?"

"Fear."

The two parseltongues turned abruptly to the soft hissing sound. No one else in the group took any notice of it as they continued to look over the small scattering of bones.

"What?" Harry asked the shadows dancing about them.

"Fear." The voice hissed again. "It's because they fear us."

Harry looked about at the array of cages around him. The voice was coming from somewhere close by. But it was so soft and weak, it was hard to tell exactly from where.

"That one," the voice continued, sounding as though each word was a nearly insurmountable effort to get out, "died crying for mercy I was told. I'll soon follow him."

"Why do they fear you?" Harry asked, still frantically searching the cages around him for where the voice was coming from.

The others in the group were staring at him in something like amazement, but not one of them said a word.

"They think we are servants of the dark lord." The voice softly hissed its answer. "No snake is safe here. All die."

"Nonsense!" Voldemort spoke up, searching the area around them as well. "Do they think the dark lord controls every snake in the world?"

"Safe or sorry." The voice hissed back.

"It's horrible." Harry whispered back, again looking at the scattered bones at his feet. "They just leave you in a cage to die?"

The voice sounded softer now, and much more despairing. "Yes."

"That's barbaric."

"The way things are."

Harry continued to frantically search the hanging cages, looking for any sign of movement in the sparsely straw covered bottoms. "Where are you?" He asked the voice.

"Above."

"But where? There are so many cages. Which one are you in?"

As Harry continued to desperately look for any movement above him, he abruptly caught sight of a small thin rope hanging from the side of one of the cages close by. The rope was very thin. Thin enough to see the bones underneath it's skin.

The rope twitched ever so slightly, then hung limp again.

Harry ran over to the cage and reached for it, but it was just out of his reach.

"He's here." Harry cried out in a whisper. "We have to get him down."

The others gathered under the small cage, which remained stubbornly just out of the reach of the tallest of them.

"If we use magic they'll know where we are." Orion stated.

"Then why bother?" Voldemort asked. "Going through all this trouble over a half dead snake? It's a waste of time. We could be out of here by now."

"The point is is that he is only half dead." Remus put in. "Which makes him also half alive. Come on, Harry." He stated. "Two of us should be able to reach the cage easily."

Harry felt himself suddenly lifted off the ground and in an instant he was seated on Lupin's shoulders. The werewolf had lifted him as though he were no more weight to him than a few pounds of potatoes in a sack.

Harry quickly reached for the cage and lifted it off its hanger. As soon as he had the cage securely in his hands, Lupin quickly lifted him back over his shoulders and set him carefully back on the ground.

Harry quickly turned his attention to the prize in his hands. But his hope quickly turned to despair as he caught his first glimpse of the cage's occupant.

Laying on the thin covering of straw was a small green snake no more than a foot in length. What skin there was on him clung to every rib along his body. Cuts showed still on the paper thin sheath, brutal evidence to the little snake's futile attempts to gain his freedom by trying to press his body through the small openings in the wire cage. Even to Harry the little snake looked like he was barely still alive at all.

"Arabella," Harry asked his godmother hopefully, "what about those potions Analisa gave you before we left? Could any of them help him?"

Arabella paused for a moment, having completely forgotten about the handful of small bottles the young woman had given her before they left.

Voldemort cut the suggestion off before Arabella could answer. "Those potions are suppose to be in case one of us is injured." He reminded Harry. "Not doled out to every...creature we cross paths with."

"But what if he dies?" Harry asked, meeting Voldemort's cold stare without backing down even a little.

"What if he does?" Voldemort struck back. "For all we know he's getting what he deserves."

At Voldemort's words the little snake lifted his head with painful slowness and turned it towards Harry. He just met the young wizard's gaze before the last of his strength seemed to leave him and he collapsed back onto the cage floor.

Harry turned quickly back to his godmother. "Arabella? Anything?"

Arabella searched quickly through the various bottles she had in the small satchel she carried in her robes and finally pulled out a small bottle with a pale blue liquid in it.

"The whole bottle would be enough for an adult human." She told her godson as Harry took the bottle from her. "It shouldn't take more than a small drop to get some reaction."

Voldemort again voiced his disapproval with a slight sound in his throat as Harry worked a few of the wires apart to make a small opening in the cage. He put a single drop of the thick liquid on the tip of his finger and then pressed it under the little snake's nose.

"Come on." He coaxed, rubbing the liquid over the very tip of the snake's snout. "Just stick your tongue out and try a little."

Whether on instinct or because he actually understood, the snake's tongue suddenly darted out and flickered over Harry finger, getting a good coating of the potion on it before it disappeared back into his mouth.

Harry watched in silence, forgetting to even breath as he watched for any reaction from the little snake. But a few seconds later the tongue flickered out again. This time bathing itself in the potion before disappearing back into the snake's mouth. The third time the snake managed to drag it's head forward as it laid its snout down in the drop of potion and quickly lapped it up with short flicks of it's tongue over Harry's finger.

Whatever reaction Harry had hoped for, he could discern very little difference in the snake's appearance or overall state once the potion was all gone from his fingertip. The only notable change was that the snake seemed to stretch very slightly, then slowly coiled itself up and go to sleep.

Harry turned an anxious stare to his godmother.

"It's all right, Harry." She reassured him with a small smile. "He's sleeping now. But I think he'll be all right."

"Wonderful." Voldemort stated in irritation. "Now that we've managed to save this poor little creature from whatever awaited it, can we possibly turn our attention back to the more pressing need of finding our own way out of here? Unless the boy finds some other helpless thing in need of rescuing."

"I would have thought you would have been happy to have saved his life." Harry pointed out.

"Why?" Voldemort sneered down at him.

"Well, he's a snake. Your lineage's crest is a snake."

"So?"

"Well," Harry paused for a moment, "I would have thought you would have had some particular affiliation with snakes."

"I do, Potter." Voldemort stated, turning back to face him. "And let me tell you what it has taught me. That not all snakes are part of that lineage. And not all care for it. This snake could very well turn out to be nothing more than a scaly little opportunist at his best. Or he could turn out to be a spy for this other wizard at his worst. We simply have no way of knowing his loyalties. Our best course of action would have been well to have left him to his end. Instead we now have one more to look after and one more to mistrust."

Harry watched as the dark wizard turned about abruptly and started off down the corridor. He turned briefly to his godmother, who favored him with a small smile and a gentle push in the back to get him moving again, with Orion, Katlin, and Lupin bringing up the rear.

As the group made its way along the torch lit corridors, Harry busied himself with undoing the complex mesh of wiring that made up the little snake's prison.

Even though, thanks to Katlin, they now had their wands back, Orion had cautioned them against using any magic. He pointed out that magic was probably the easiest way to track their whereabouts and they were simply better off not giving the wizard any more help in finding them than he probably already had.

So since they couldn't undo it by magic, he was forced to carefully work the wires free by hand. But finally the painstaking task was done enough that he could reach his hand into the small cage and slide it under the coiled up snake. Once in his hand, Harry quickly discarded the cage. Despite the potion he had been given, the little snake still looked very much the worse for wear.

"Here, let me see him." Katlin said, holding her hand out.

Harry carefully slipped the little snake onto her hand. Katlin held the little snake up for a moment, gently stroking its head with her finger. She then placed her other hand over the one that held the small creature and closed her eyes.

"Griss!"

Katlin turned to face her husband.

"'No magic!' What part of that didn't you understand?" Orion snapped at her.

Katlin regarded him as one would a minor annoyance. "My healing is an innate ability. It leaves no trace. If you had spent more time in your classes learning to be something other than 'charming', Mr. Black, you'd have known that."

Dropping her attention from him without what appeared to be a second thought, Katlin again turned it to the little snake in her hand. It had lifted its head now and stared up at her with something akin to fear in its eyes.

"Oh, now what do you think I'm going to do to you?" She cooed at it, gently stroking its head. "I happen to be a first rate healer of animals. And I know a great many cows that will give me a very good reference if you'd like. Now just lay your head back down..." she added, gently easing the little snake's head back down over it's coiled body, "...and very soon you're going to feel a great deal better."

Making sure that all of the little snake was safely coiled up in her hand, Katlin again place her other hand over the one holding the snake and closed her eyes. As Harry watched, a soft blue light emanated from between her joined hands, then slowly dimmed as she opened them again.

"What did you do?" Harry asked. But looking over the little snake, he could already see the results of Katlin's work. Most of the cuts and scrapes on his body were healed over and places were scales had been scraped off were now replaced with fresh ones.

Katlin gave the snake a gentle little prodding, which got her no more of a reaction than for the snake to lift its head slightly, then curl it back over itself and seemed to go back to sleep.

"Potions are all well and good, Harry." The Elite answered. "But their even better when backed up with a good heal spell. The poor thing had a lot of internal injuries to that little body. Probably from trying to squeeze his way out of that cage."

"Well, he seems to be better." Arabella stated with a smile as Harry watched the small creature change hands again from Katlin to his godmother. "But I think what he needs now is a good sound sleep."

Turning Harry back about, Arabella made a small cocoon in the hood of his sweater and slipped the little snake into it. "He'll be safe and warm in there, Harry." Arabella told him. "And you'll be close by if he needs anything."

Wrapped up in the soft, warm material, Harry thought he heard the little snake give a soft, contented sigh, then slip back into a relaxed sleep.

"He sounds happy." Harry commented with a smile.

Voldemort watched the scene from his position by the wall. Shaking his head he finally turned and walked off after Orion, who had already started off down the corridor.


	57. Chapter 57

A/N: If you're that desperate for something to read that you actually read these things, go back and read the last one. It was fairly long and entertaining.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY-TWO B: REUNIONS (With no reference whatsoever to Chapters Nine or Forty-One B.)**

For the next hour or so, the group continued on in near silence. The only voices heard were those of Orion and Voldemort as they argued over which direction to take at ever juncture they came to.

"We're just going around in circles following your lead." Voldemort stated, bringing the group to a complete halt again. "We need to stay in a straight line."

"We need to try and keep our direction headed towards the outside walls." Orion replied, the strain at keeping his voice clam when talking to the dark wizard starting to show. "It's the only way we can hope to find another window so we can better judge where we are in this maze."

"Lost, are we?"

Voldemort turned about to see the little snake's head poking out of Harry's hood. "Well, now, the little twig isn't dead after all." He sneered at it.

The small snake stopped as he looked about the area over his head. "Wait. Wait." He announced dramatically, looking about as though intently searching for something. "I recognize that voice!" He finally turning slowly to Voldemort, as nasty a sneer on his face as a snake could manage as he faced down the dark lord. "Oh. It's you." He said, his voice positively dripping with loathing. "Mr. 'Let's leave him behind to die he's only a snake'." The little snake drew back for a second, then leaned forward abruptly, practically in Voldemort's face. "Phffffffffffffft!"

Voldemort quickly pulled back.

"Ummmm...," Harry began, looking for something to say as he turned his back, effectively putting the little snake out of the dark lord's reach, "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it really."

"I think he meant to leave me behind to die." The snake replied. But he stopped abruptly as he noticed the others gathered about, staring intently at him, then at Harry. "Why is everyone staring at me?" He asked.

Harry looked at the others, then gave a slight laugh as he lifted the little snake out of his sweater's hood. "Oh, I guess they're not use to someone talking to a snake." He said.

"Don't they?"

"No. Only parseltongues can talk to snakes." Harry told him.

"And you're a parseltongue?"

Harry nodded.

"And the foul one over there?" The snake asked, indicating Voldemort with the tip of his tail.

Voldemort gave the little snake a look of pure loathing. "Yes!" He snapped back sharply. "The 'foul one' over there as well."

The little snake seemed completely unflustered by Voldemort's display as he looked about the area they were in.

"Oh, you are in deep." He commented.

"In deep 'what'?" Voldemort inquired in the same tone.

The snake turned to him. "Not 'what'." He practically spit back at the dark lord. "Deep deep. You've managed to work your way into the lower levels of the castle."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. "Everything seemed level so far. And we haven't gone down any stairs."

"You can't be sure of anything in this place." The little snake replied, turning his full attention back to Harry. "But I can taste the dampness. And that was only in the lower levels of the castle. Didn't care for the area much myself. To wet and cold."

"So then, oh great guide," Voldemort ask in a falsely grateful tone as he crossed his arms over his chest, "exactly how do we get out?"

The snake at first ignored him. "My first suggestion," he replied, suddenly turning sharply to the man behind him, "would be to lose your contemptuous arse. Then I might be more inclined to help the rest."

Harry barely stifled a snort of laughter, but just as quickly drew the little snake closer to him as he watched Voldemort's expression darken even more.

"And I seriously doubt this little twelve inch rat knows anything at all." He stated. "He's just buying time."

"For what!?" The snake inquired, turning around to face down the dark wizard again.

A tap on Harry's shoulder distracted his attention away from the two's bickering.

"Is there anything useful coming out of this conversation?" Orion asked him.

"Well, the little snake..."

"Roland." The snake interrupted Harry quickly.

Harry turned back to him. "What?"

"The 'little snake'," he stated "has a name. Roland."

Harry smiled down at him. "Well, I'm pleased to meet you, Roland."

"Likewise, I'm sure." Roland answered. But turning back about caught Voldemort's stare. "Not you." He hissed at the man.

Voldemort gave a derisive sound as the snake turned back to the others.

"Well?" Orion prompted, getting back to the subject at hand.

"Roland says we're in the lower levels of the castle." Harry replied.

"Roland?"

Harry held the snake up to his uncle. "Roland."

Orion leaned down slightly until he was eye to eye with the little snake. "So which direction do we go in then, Roland?"

Before Roland could answer, a sudden flash of dark light erupted next to Orion. In the aftermath stood the familiar tower of dark robes, looking about as though amazed at where it was.

"Well! It's about time!" Orion stated, turning his attention immediately to the boggart. "Where in the name of magic have you been?"

The boggart began to enter into a flurry of gestures when a small voice caught Harry's attention in a scream of panic.

"Boggart!" Roland stated. "Boggart! Boggart! Quick! Someone dispel it!"

Harry quickly pulled Roland back against his chest as Bo came to a rousing halt and turning his attention to the small creature. A soft trill of excitement came from under the hood as Bo leaned closer to the small snake, a robed hand reaching up to it.

Instantly Roland pulled back and with every bit of strength he could muster, rose up and hissed at the outstretched hand. But almost immediately fell back in an exhausted heap in Harry's hand.

For his part, Bo quickly snatched his hand away, covering it with his other hand as he pulled back from the small snake and turned quickly back to Orion.

"Well, the whole world can't love you, buddy. Sorry."

"Roland thinks Bo is a boggart." Harry explained quickly.

Orion turned back to his nephew. "He is." He stated plainly.

Harry shook his head. "No. He thinks Bo is just a boggart." Harry tried again.

"And he is." Orion emphasized the last word slightly, glaring down at the teenager.

Harry paused, trying to sort out what the problem was. Suddenly he remembered Orion's warnings about ever saying too much about the enigmatic boggart around anyone.

"I just don't think Roland cares much for boggarts." Harry interjected quickly. "There's probably a lot of them around this place."

Orion turned back to the tower of dark robes next to him. "So, where have you been?" He ask.

Bo continued to stare at the little snake for a moment longer, then turned his attention back to Orion, immediately launching again into his wild series of gestures. All of which Orion watched with growing interest.

Finally the boggart stopped and fell into silent repose, staring down at Orion.

"All right." Was all the Unspeakable had to say.

"And where has he been?" Arabella ask when it became apparent Orion wasn't going to expand on the boggart's explanation.

"Outside." Was all Orion said on the subject. "Well, since your here," he added quickly, turning back to Bo, "can you help me out translating what this little snake is saying? It would help a lot if Harry didn't have to relay everything between us."

Bo nodded, but made no further gesture.

Orion leaned down again until he was eye level with the little snake. "So, what direction do we go in?" He ask.

Roland pulled himself back around and stared first at the man before him, then turn back to Harry. "Tell him..."

"I can hear you just fine." Orion stated.

Roland turned quickly back to the man. "Harry said he and the one with a burr up his...he said they were the only two parseltongues of your group."

"Well, now there's a third." Orion stated. "So, since you seem to know this castle so well, which direction do we go in?"

Roland studied the man before him for a moment, then indicated Voldemort with his tail. "Lose that one and I might be inclined to help you."

"We can't do that, Roland." Orion answered him. "We need him."

"For what?" The little snake ask with genuine confusion in his tone. "Is your group that much in need of entertainment you just brought him along for laughs. What?"

"We not leaving anyone behind just to get you to help us. So either do it because you'd really love to help us out, or enjoy our company for a long, long time. Because I'm willing to bet it'll take that long to get out of this place."

"Longer." Roland replied with a sigh. Glancing back at Voldemort's dark stare, the little snake turned back to Orion. "You're head in the whole wrong direction." He stated.

"Ha!" Voldemort interjected triumphantly.

"Oh, get stuffed." Roland spat at him. "You're directional abilities haven't been much better from what I've heard. You can't go 'in a straight line' in this place. There are no straight lines."

"What do you mean?" Orion ask.

Roland turned back to him. "This place is set up with more wards and charms than you can shake a stick at. You can be walking down a corridor and suddenly be transported into another and never know it happened. That's how you ended up where you are. You've been moved about the castle to exactly where he wants you to be and never even knew it."

"He?" Orion's interest peaked.

"The wizard who runs this little amusement park." Roland answered. "Surely you've met him?"

"Have you?" Orion ask.

The little snake eyed him carefully. "I might have. After all, I've lived down here for an awfully long time."

"Not very long from the size of you." Voldemort stated with a contemptuous sneer.

"Hey!" Roland snapped back at him, "I'll have you know that my species is naturaly small. I happen to be fully grown, thank you very much."

"No wonder you've survived so long then." Voldemort replied with a mirthless smile. "Nothing would likely want to go through all the bother to catch you...just for a mouthful."

Roland leaned forward in Harry's hand. "I'll give you a mouthful." He hissed back.

"Children..." Orion stated, drumming his fingers over one arm as he folded them in front of him. "Roland," he directed his attention back to the little snake, "can you direct us out of this place, yes or no?"

Roland considered the question for a moment as he looked over the group again, pausing at each person as he cast a glance over them. "Good heavens, but you are one sad looking group. I suppose out of pity alone I would be persuaded to help you. But there's a condition to my help."

Orion sighed quietly as he eyed the little snake. "And that would be?"

"You have to take me out of here with you. As soon as we're on the outside of the castle, and a good clip from it, you set me free."

"All..."

"Just a minute!" Voldemort abruptly stepped in. "Why is it so important to you to get out of this place?" He ask Roland.

The snake studied him as though he thought the man had just lost his mind. "Are you serious?" He replied. "Or did you just happen to miss the lovely accommodations they have for snakes in this place?"

"And maybe you just want out of here so you can go warn your comrades." Voldemort suggested.

"My 'comrades'," the little snake replied evenly, "are piles of bones. I don't think I'll get much help from them."

"There are other snakes on the outside surely."

"And I'll bet a three day travel on my belly I won't see one until then." Roland answered. "You think all the snakes laying dead in those cages are ones they caught in here? They went out into the fields, the forests, the rivers...everywhere, caught every snake they found, and brought it back here. Leaving them in those cages to die."

"From around here?" Orion ask. "So is this the wizard's lair?"

Roland shook his head. "No. This is his servant's home. He lives elsewhere."

"His servant?" Orion ask. "Who is that?"

"Oh, I'm sure you've met her." The snake answered. "Rotten little busybody she is."

"You mean Becca?" Orion ask.

Orion could have sworn he saw the little snake cringe at the name.

"That's the one." He acknowledged. "No one in their right mind goes up against her. Nasty little thing she is."

Orion tucked the information away for examination later. One thing was for sure though, he wasn't about to let the group lose hold of Roland. The little snake was proving already to be a fountain of information about the wizard and his enigmatic servant.

"All right, Roland." Orion agreed. "You help us get out of here, and we'll set you free once we're away from this place."

The little snake gave a quick nod of his head. "Deal."

**Q&A**

MasterLupin:

**Well lets be honest here, if your willing to kidnap children then your probably willing to lock them up in a dungeon and leave them there until you get your way; regardless of their personalities. If I read your response right Thomas and Vincent are adopted?  
Hmm… came close on that one eh? Well let's try this.  
Since the wizard is probing the group for the weakness, I think that by the time he comes to Harry he will know exactly what buttons to push to get Harry to willingly abandon the group and meet with the wizard mono a mono.**

Oh! Nasty PAR slip. (I do that every now and then.) Yes. Thomas and Vincent are adopted. That's all I'm saying on that matter.

You're still on the right track, Dear. But due to the nature of your guess and how close it comes to a vital part of the story, I really have to stop giving you hints. Well, maybe one last one. Try looking at your theory, but switching the personalities around.

Silverfox:

**I'm sure there used to be much longer chapters than this on Are they trying to train the kids into writing one sentence chapters? ... Wait, wait, wait! Does Remus know Orion and Katlin are married? He didn't seem at all surprised at it here. ... Oh, I don't doubt Orion would put up a good fight, but would he find out in time? After all Talon knows how he feels about Bo, so why would he go tell him?**

Remus is Sirius' last surviving friend. What do you think? One night at the bar...few pints to many...and "You'll never guess what my older brother went and did today...".

Actually, yes he does know. And it was suppose to be in the last chapter, but inadvertently got left out. And I just never could find a good place to get it back into the story. Actually, that little slip is showing a huge alteration done to the story. Namely, Remus was not part of the original group. That consisted of solely Orion, Voldemort, Harry, and Arabella. Remus was added later. So sometimes, when he doesn't seem to fit in exactly, that's why. Happy 'continuity error hunting' is all I have to say.

Why would he have to, Dear? Orion and his father share a great deal in common with their traits regarding the boggart. One being almost constant contact with him. If Bo were ever in danger, Orion would know. And Talon knowing how his son feels about the boggart doesn't really bother him that much. Remember that a large part of Talon giving the 'Power' a body of its own was so it could live life a little less vicariously through its hosts. Give it a chance to experience things on its own. Being so attached to Orion he's more like the family's pet dog than a boggart, Talon sees very little reason to interfere with the relationship unless necessary. Bo has a babysitter, and Orion has his friend. Everyone's happy. Unless someone...or something...else interferes.

CelticHeiressFiona:

Thank you, Dear.


	58. Chapter 58

A/N: I'm sorry to have missed last week, folks, but things simply caught up with me and I didn't have time to polish up this chapter in time to get it posted. I guess a truer testament to how busy I've been is to say I didn't have time to polish up the 'right' chapter. I worked on polishing up a chapter, only to discover just a few hours before I was going to post it that it was the wrong one.

Also, you'll note that this has a Part One and a Part Two to the chapters. This is different from A & B chapters. These are not a split chapter. They are individual chapters that deal with a central theme. In this case, as the title suggests, Point of View.

So what can I say? Except,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: POINT OF VIEW**

**(PART ONE)**

Being led by Roland, the group made slow progress through the corridors. Leading the group now was Harry, who walked along slowly with the little snake held out on the palm of his hand in front of him.

For his part, Roland seemed to take in everything around him, his small tongue constantly flickering in and out of his mouth as they went.

After some time, Voldemort stepped up to where Roland was again looking about the area.

"I thought you were going to get us out of here." He stated irritably.

"It will take a certain amount of time to find the right path." Roland replied calmly. "In the meantime, why don't you do something useful. Like cultivate some patience."

"And I've been in the blasted castle as long as I care to.

"Three hours. Big deal." Roland replied in a bored manner. "I've been in this place for three years." The little snake turned to him. "Doesn't make your whining sound so important now, does it, Sunshine?"

Voldemort stiffened slightly at the insult, but then frowned deeply at the little snake. "And I'm beginning to doubt you know anything at all."

"Feel free to go off on your own." Roland offered. "We may actually get lucky and never see you again. Ahh!"

Roland quickly pulled up and turned about to face Harry, pointing with his tail behind him. "Here's what we've been looking for." He announced proudly. "The stairs to the upper levels."

Harry turned a perplexed stare to the little snake, having just surveyed the stone wall ahead of them.

"Ummm..., Roland, that's a wall." Harry felt the need to point out.

The little snake shook his head, then turned back to the teenager. "What part of my earlier explanation did you not understand?" He ask. "Wards, Harry. This place is littered with them. It's the way this wizard keeps you occupied while he figures out his next move. You could feel like you've wandered around this castle for days, when in fact, you never leave a single room."

"So how do you know this is a ward?" Harry ask.

"Three years." The little snake reminded him. "You learn a lot in that time. Trust me, I know where the stairs to the upper levels are. I used them often enough to escape capture."

"I thought you said you stayed out of the lower levels because you didn't like them?" Voldemort was quick to point out. "Too damp and cold for your liking, I believe you said."

"Look, Sunshine, I'd crawl into a freezer if it helped me escape a pact of rabid hunters bent on my capture. Sometimes, coming down here was the only safe place to go."

"Why down here?" Harry ask.

"For the very reason the unpleasant one pointed out. It's damp and cold. The wizard's servants know that no normal snake would seek out such conditions."

"Emphasis on the word 'normal'." Voldemort pointed out.

"Hey!" Roland snapped back. "It isn't like I took up residency down here. I just stayed until the heat wore off. Then I went back upstairs."

"All right then," a fourth voice added. "How do we get through the ward?"

Roland turned to Orion, who was studying the apparent stone wall before them.

"You're suppose to be a wizard." Roland replied. "Shouldn't be that hard for you to figure it out."

Orion walked up to the wall and ran his hand over it, covering a large area of it before stepping back. Almost at once the tower of black robes appeared next to him.

"Well?" He ask.

"Hey!" Roland called out. "No fair asking the boggart!"

Bo immediately turned back to Roland. Reaching out a robe covered hand, he gently patted the little snake on the head before turning his attention back to the task at hand.

"Condescension!" Roland declared with a great deal of indignation as he cringed under the boggart's touch. "That's all they're good for."

But by then Bo had already started into his usual flurry of gestures as he spoke to his Channeler, gesturing several times to the wall and finally coming to what appeared a rather abrupt halt.

"You're sure?" Orion ask.

The boggart nodded emphatically.

"If you're playing one of you're games here, I'm warning you now that payback will be immediately forthcoming." Orion told the boggart as he took several steps back from the wall. Pausing for a moment, he closed his eyes and started walking.

As the group watched, the Unspeakable approached the wall, but then disappeared into it as though it wasn't even there.

"Well, that was fairly easy." Orion stated as he reappeared from the still very solid looking wall a few moments later.

"Easy if you know the trick." Lupin commented. "Apparently this ward is set up only to stop those who can see it."

"It's a bit trickier than that." Orion stated. "The ward is set up to stop you if you in any way feel that it should. The only way through it is to remove all doubt from your mind that it's there. So, one by one, each person turn around, take several steps away from the wall, then close your eyes, step back towards it, and walk until you make contact with the stairs on the other side."

Under Orion's guidance, each member did as they were told, and soon the entire group was once again on the move, this time up a long, wide set of stairs.

After several minutes of climbing, Harry turned Roland back to him as the little snake again sat perched in his hand as they moved forward.

"Do these stairs ever end?" He ask. "Or is this just another ward, where we never stop climbing, but we're never really getting any higher?"

"There are no wards on the stairs that I'm aware of." Roland replied. "And if you think it's tough for you, try doing it on your belly. I had aches for days afterwards."

"How sad." Voldemort intoned without any real sympathy backing his comment.

"Sort of the same aches you'd have if you were to, say, accidentally slip and fall back down these same stairs." Roland replied.

"Could we keep the comments to a minimum?" Orion hissed back at them. "I'd rather not alert too many people to our whereabouts just right now."

Facing the dark lord still, Roland's tongue again slipped out, although this time Voldemort felt it stayed out a little longer than usual.

After what seemed like an endless climb up the stairs, Harry glanced up to note he could see a faint glimmer of light ahead of them.

"Finally." He breathed a sigh of relief.

Roland quickly poked his head out of the hood of Harry's sweater. "Keep your head down." He advised. "Looking up just makes it seem to take that much longer."

Harry took the little snake's advice and looked anywhere but at the dim portal of light ahead of them. Glancing back, as he had several times during the climb up the stairs, Harry checked to see how Voldemort was doing. Bringing up the rear of the group this time, he seemed to be struggling to make each step, as he had been since nearly the start. Harry had started to ask him several times if the leg was bothering him, but stopped as the older wizard seemed to sense his gaze and returned a deep frown as he met the teenager's stare.

Shrugging slightly, Harry returned his attention to the stairs ahead of him and continued to climb.

Finally, nearly hypnotized by the repeated appearance of one stair after another in his field of vision, Harry almost tripped over his own feet when he suddenly found himself on solid ground. With a sigh of relief, he turned quickly back to see Voldemort emerging through the same doorway he himself had just walked through.

"Well, it's about time." The older wizard snapped, stretching his back out as he pulled himself up to the body's full height again after what seemed like hours walking slightly bent over.

Harry quickly turned back around to ask his godmother how she felt, but stopped abruptly.

Expecting to be facing the Arabella, Orion, Lupin, and even the boggart, Harry instead found himself staring at an empty corridor. Turning back around quickly he saw Voldemort examining the hallway with a perplexed and unhappy stare.

"Well now," he stated in what sounded like a bored, drawn out tone, "isn't this interesting?"

Arabella was the first to notice that their number had depleted slightly when they stepped into the corridor, the first flat land they had had in some time.

"Harry!" She noted with alarm, looking about quickly, but not seeing her godson anywhere.

Orion quickly scanned the area, then ran back over to the doorway that led to the stairs Roland had brought them up. Leaning past the doorway, he surveyed the stairs as far down as he could see.

"Harry!?" He called loudly, not caring at that point who heard him. "Harry!?"

He listened to his voice echo down the stairwell. When no answer came he turned quickly to the tower of black robes at his elbow.

"Bo, search the doorway. Look for any trace of magic, particularly a ward."

The boggart's only answer was to trace a finger in the air in front of him.

Orion frowned deeply at the gesture. "What do you mean, 'again'?"

The boggart added several more gestures to the first.

Orion's frown became a scowl. "You mean we walked right through a ward and you didn't feel it necessary to bother telling anyone?"

The boggart crossed his arms over his chest and draw a figure in the air.

"For magic's sake, Bo!" Orion erupted, all but shouting at the boggart. "You've been alive for several hundred years, I would have expected that by now I didn't need to tell you everything! Like the fact I'd like to know when I'm about to walk through a ward!"

The boggart pulled back in a startled gesture, then abruptly vanished.

"Bo!" Orion demanded. "Bo! Get back here! Now!"

Nothing happened.

A small hand laid itself gently on his arm. Orion turned to meet the concerned stare of his wife.

"There was no need to yell at him." She said calmly.

"He's as much a part of this group as anyone else!" Orion stated, little of his anger diminished. "And he didn't do his part. I'm not going to praise him for that."

"Speaking of the group," Lupin spoke up, looking about the corridor, "has anyone noticed Harry isn't the only one missing?"

The rest of the group looked about suddenly.

"Voldemort." Arabella stated quickly.

"What's the purpose in this then?" Orion murmured as much to himself as to anyone else.

"Divide and conquer?" Lupin speculated.

Orion turned his stare to the man, then slowly shook his head. "Then why leave five of us together?" He ask. "Why not separate all of us. No. He was too selective for this to be a random act. Harry and Voldemort are the keys to the lock in all of this. He wanted them away from our group for a reason."

Lupin turned his eyes slightly back to the man from having been studying the floor. "The question," he stated quietly, "is why?"

Katlin stepped into the discussion. "You already said it." She replied to her husband. "Harry and Voldemort are the keys to finding this wizard. Perhaps he's hoping without them we'll agree to give up and go back."

Orion frowned at the suggestion. "Then he's going to be very, very disappointed."

**Q&A**

MasterLupin:

**Well I liked the addition of the snake Ronald. He has quite the personality that the group needed to progress onward. I do look forward to reading the story more now (if that was possible) that I think that I have revised my theory properly, see if I'm right. Although I still think that Harry will fall into a situation of confrontation in this story without backup except for Ronald the snake.**

Roland is without a doubt too cute for words.

Have you been reading my notes again? Ok, that's all I'm saying here. But I look forward to your theory after the next chapter as to what is going on.

Silverfox:

**Ah, so that's why Remus seems to not quite be there in so many scenes. I'm still eagerly waiting to see what he's good for other than covering Harry's eyes when his godparents kiss.  
Did Bo actually give Orion the ability to understand parseltongue, or it he somehow translating? And Roland's afraid of bogarts? Interesting, very interesting. muses about relationship between bogarts and animals**

Yes, and sometimes it's more blatant than others. But originally he wasn't included in the group so I have to be very careful while editing these chapters before posting to make sure he's in there.

Oh, Lupin has several very useful talents to lend to the group. Trust me. Just give it time. If nothing else, he is the unwavering voice of reason. While Harry tried to figure things out, he is still just a teenager. Arabella, while a very good Auror, is still prone to the occasional show of (dare I say) hysterics when her godson is involved. Orion, again, not the fastest horse on the track, but definitely the most methodical. Voldemort has his own agenda. And Katlin is just too prone to see killing something as a solution to the problem. But Lupin is the one who will usually step in and try and make everyone else see reason.

He actually gave him the ability, Dear. Not acting as a translator here. Remember, Bo is a purely magical force. There is very little beyond his abilities. The most advanced magic others are doing he would see as mere child's play. The problem is (or the solution, depending on how you look at it), is that while Bo can do just about anything with magic, he's pretty much happy with things the way they are and sees little need to change them. He's got his host, his Channeler, his family, and a home. Yup. Life is good from the boggart's point of view.

Actually, don't put too much time into it, Dear. Roland's reaction was pretty much standard. Nothing underlying there...or was it? So here's a question for you. Which was Roland reacting to? The boggart or the 'Power'?

Skahducky:

**Roland seems to be quite a character. I only hope he can get them out of the lair quickly. Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

Roland is indeed a character with lots of it to go around. Whether or not he is any help to getting them out of the castle any quicker remains to be seen.

All reviews are as of 03/11/2007.

And remember:

Adjusting daylight savings time will save our country 1 in over all energy consumption. This, however, has nothing whatsoever to do with the thousands of hours necessary to make the adjustment for the earlier change to computers, automated systems, timers, and the fact that kids now get to wait at their bus stops in the dark three weeks earlier.


	59. Chapter 59

A/N: And trust me, if ever a chapter needed an author's note, it's this one.

But all I'm going to say about this chapter is one thing. Echoing Voldemort's words, 'Hear me out.'

Then, based on everything else you know about the story so far, draw your own conclusions.

Also, I apologize for not realizing just how long this chapter ran. In order to post it correctly, I had to slice it up into four separate sections. So the chapter 'Point Of View' actually has four parts.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR: POINT OF VIEW **

**(PART TWO)**

Harry stood looking about the corridor for several moments while Voldemort walked back over to the doorway leading to the stairs. Leaning through it, he looked about, calling to the others several times.

"Roland, what's going on?" Harry ask, holding the little snake still in the palm of his hand.

Roland looked slightly taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"What's happened to the others?"

"How should I know?"

For once Harry thought the little snake looked either as lost for a answer as he was or a little ill at ease. "Calm down, Roland." Harry said with a slight smile. "It isn't like I think you made them disappear. But you seem to know an awful lot about this castle, and especially about the wards here. If you've used the stairs before, did you ever encounter the ward at the top of them before?"

"The wards can be moved, Harry." Roland offered quickly. "And I wasn't looking for one. Also, we have no proof that what happened to the others has anything to do with a ward."

Voldemort joined them again. "Meaning?" He ask, staring down at the little snake.

Roland all but cringed under the man's stare this time. "All I meant was that there are lots of ways for people to disappear. And you can't be too sure of anything in this place."

"And I think we've heard all we need to from you for a while." Voldemort stated.

The little snake seemed all too willing to take the hint as he scurried up Harry's arm and over his shoulder, finally escaping back into the safety of the sweater's hood.

"He was only trying to help." Harry commented as Voldemort watched the little snake disappear.

"And I think we can do without his help for a while, Harry." Was the only answer he got.

Sighing to himself, Harry took off after the older wizard, who had already started off down the corridor. "Shouldn't we stay near the stairs?" Harry ask quickly when he caught up to him. "Maybe the others will find a way back and they'll be looking for us there."

"Unlikely." Voldemort replied. "If they did cross through a ward, then our best bet of finding them is to keep moving."

Harry sighed again and resigned himself to having to follow Voldemort's lead for a while. To occupy himself as they walked along, Harry kept up a near constant stream of dialogue to Roland, all based in trying to coax the little snake to come back out and at least sit on his shoulder.

But after five minutes of trying, it was Voldemort who finally put a stop to it.

"If you're hoping to coax that snake back out, you can forget it." He snapped. "He's obviously a coward at heart and has no further interest in helping us."

"Roland's not a coward." Harry replied, coming to the little snake's defense. "He's probably just having a quick nap. Snakes sleep a lot when it's cold, and this place certainly qualifies."

"Or maybe he finally ran out of quips to throw at me and now you see what's really behind his sharp tongue." Voldemort answered, casting a hard glare at the hood of Harry's sweater where the little snake was curled up. "A coward."

"Roland is not a coward." Harry defended again, unsure of exactly why Voldemort had suddenly taken such an intense dislike to the little snake. True, he never liked him much to begin with if appearances were anything to go by. But this was going a little overboard in Harry's opinion. "He is, after all, helping us get out of here."

"For a price." Voldemort answered as he turned back to the corridor before them. "Most cowards will exact one for what they do. He would never think to help someone because doing so would simply be the decent thing to do."

"All he wants is to get out of here." Harry said. "Like us. It's not too much to ask that we take him with us when we leave."

Voldemort laughed softly. "You are far too trusting, young Mr. Potter." Voldemort stopped suddenly and turned back to Harry, leaning down until he was eye level with the teenager. "Just remember this, Harry, and it will serve you well the rest of your life." He said. "People, almost every one of them, deep down at their very core, are cowards. Sniveling, greedy, fearful cowards, who think only of themselves and what you can do for them."

"Not all people are cowards." Harry stated firmly.

"I didn't say 'all'. I said 'most'."

"Not even most." Harry answered back. "Peter Pettigrew was a coward. But people like Arabella, and Sirius, and Orion, and Professor Lupin, and Katlin...they aren't cowards. They're some of the bravest people I know. Even Roland is brave. He's standing up to this wizard by showing us the way out."

Voldemort turned a sinister smile back towards the hood again where the little snake was. "Reeeeeallllly." He drawled. But then turned his attention back to Harry. "So, brave are they, Harry?"

Harry quickly nodded.

"So tell me, from how you see it, is Orion Black really a brave man, or just someone who likes what he does?"

The question caught Harry by utter surprise. "What?"

"Is the man brave, Harry, or does he just like killing people? And what about Remus Lupin? Is the man brave, or just foolish? Sometimes there's a very fine line between the two. And Katlin Griss isn't really much better on that count. What she does she does for the worst reason of all. She does it out of love."

"Non of that is true." Harry spoke up quickly, but the man just as quickly cut him off.

"My point, Harry, is you really don't know what motivates people. But when you strip it all away, more than not, you find they do what they do because they are cowards. Even your godfather is one. Risking his life while he tries to live up to the standards of a brother who hates him."

Harry felt his temper rising by the second. But the attack on his godfather was the final crossing of the line for him. "Sirius is not a coward!" He shouted at the man. "And Orion does not hate him. What are you going to tell me next? That my parents were cowards who had some self-serving reason for what they did?"

Voldemort's whole expression changed at Harry's mention of his parents. "No." He said in a quieter voice. "Your parents, Harry, were not cowards. Foolish? Perhaps. Over trusting of the wrong people? Definitely. Self-serving? I suppose that could be defended on how you look at things." Voldemort pulled himself back up to his full height with a sigh, his attention fix back down the corridor. "But cowards? No. Your parents were unique people, Harry. People with foresight. With vision." The older wizard turned back to him as a slow smile spread across his lips. "People like myself."

Harry stared up at the man as they continued walking, none of his anger dispelled by the man's words. If anything, it only increased. "Then why did you kill them?"

Voldemort paused as he turned back at Harry. "You won't believe me." He said finally, turning back once again to the corridor.

Despite his anger, Harry found himself recalling Katlin's words as they walked a few moments in silence, that to ever story there were two sides. And he found himself suddenly curious if it was even remotely possible that the story of his parents deaths had one as well. "Try me." He said finally.

Voldemort shrugged slightly. "Why did I kill your parents? I didn't." He said simply.

Harry started to say something, but stopped himself abruptly.

"You see." Voldemort answered anyway. "I told you."

"But you did kill them."

Voldemort seemed uninterested in the statement. "I answered your question, Harry." He replied instead. "Now it's only fair you answer one of mine. How do you know for a fact that I killed your parents?"

Harry stared back at the man, thinking over the question.

"Well?" Voldemort pressed for his answer. "What is it then? Because someone told you that? Because Dumbledore told you it was so? Or Black? Or Lupin? Or Snape? Or even that miserable little Pettigrew? Is that your evidence?"

"Everyone knows the story of how my parents died." Harry replied in a low, careful tone. "Every one knows..."

"What they were told." Voldemort cut him off quickly. "And who told them that, Harry? Who told Dumbledore, and Black, and Lupin, and all the others? Who told the wizarding world that Lord Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter?"

Harry came to a halt, thinking for a minute, but not really sure of the answer. He had heard the story. But never who had really broken the news.

Voldemort leaned a little closer to him. "Try the Ministry." He suggested.

Harry looked back at him, a slightly startled look on his face. "But...but Sirius was there. He said..."

"That he found you as the only survivor of an attack. Black had no more an idea who was responsible at that moment then anyone else did."

"Professor Dumbledore told me it had been you." Harry pointed out defensively. "And he would have no reason to lie."

"Indeed not. Nor would Lupin, Black, Snape, or any of the others who have told you the story. But where did they get the story from, Harry? According to the story, there were only four people there. I was one of them, your father was the other, your mother, and you. Now, who among us told anyone anything? Certainly not your parents. Or you. That would leave me. And do you really think I was going to go around shouting to the world I had just murdered your parents?"

Harry thought about the suggestion for a moment.

"So who told everyone the story they have been repeating for the past fifteen years? Repeated so many times that its all people believe anymore?"

Harry stared up at the older wizard, not liking what the man's words were implying. "Why would the ministry make it up?" He asked in a quieter tone.

"I'll tell you why, Harry." Voldemort readily offered. "Because there is an evil in our world. And that evil is the ministry." Think about it for a moment." He added. "They control everything that the wizarding community sees, and hears, and believes."

"Why tell a lie then?" Harry shot back, fighting for his rational belief. The one he had built his whole world around. "What did they have to gain by lying about what happened?"

The man smiled down at him. "Everything, Harry. Absolutely everything. Your father and I were fools. It took me a long time to see that, but we were. We played right into their hands and they took advantage of the situation we ourselves set up for them."

"What do you mean?"

Voldemort sighed quietly, staring at his feet for a minute before he turned back to Harry. "I won't asked you to believe me, Harry, because I honestly think that's too much to ask of you at this point. But I will ask that you hear me out. Will you at least do that?"

Harry paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"A very long time ago...a whole life time ago it seems, your father and I were not enemies. We were, in fact, friends."

Harry started again to say something. But remembering his promise, bit back his protest and settled down again to listen.

"We met while your father and mother were still in school. Their last year. Your father and I found we shared a great many of the same ideals about the world." Voldemort quickly raised a hand as Harry opened his mouth again. "Not the ones you hear connected with my name today, Harry. Very different ideals from those. Your father and I saw the old hatreds in the wizarding world. Hatreds that were threatening to tear our community apart. Stupid, foolish hatreds started between children in schools. And the worst seemed to come out of Hogwarts. Even in my day there, the hatred was so intense you could feel it in the stones themselves. Gryffindors against Slytherins. The two houses couldn't stand each other even back then. A rivalry going back as far as the founders themselves. Your father and I saw the rivalry as petty at best, and we each sought a way to stop it."

"That's it?" Harry asked incredulously. "You were going to solve all the problems of the world by stopping a petty school rivalry?"

"'Clean up your own corner of the world before you try to clean up the rest of it', Harry." Voldemort answered. "If we could unite two houses, why not two rival schools, and then two rival countries. You have to start somewhere, you see? And that was just how your father and I looked at it. The great peacemakers, we thought of ourselves as. But then something...rather unexpected happened."

Despite himself, Harry found he was actually starting to get interested in the story as he listened to the man's words.

"You see, with the approach of our last year, I had an idea. One I unfortunately didn't keep to myself."

"What idea?"

"I thought...perhaps the way to bring the houses together, was if there was a permanent union. Something the two houses would share in common forever."

"Like what?"  
"Like a new bloodline. One that was both Slytherin and Gryffindor. What if between the two houses...there was a child."


	60. Chapter 60

A/N: The fourth chapter will appear next week, folks. I figured two nice long chapters was enough to post up for tonight.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: POINT OF VIEW**

**(PART THREE)**

Harry's mouth dropped open. "A...a child?"

"Oh, it was a grand idea at the time, I thought. But I was a good deal more fanatical then. I saw the whole scheme of things as sort of a grand prophecy in and of itself coming to pass. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin. Direct descendants, no less, of the original founders. What could have been better than if these two, who just happened to come together at this particular time, had a child together? The two rivals would have no choice but to unite under the common bond."

"But you...and my dad?"

Voldemort turned a startled look to Harry. "Your father?" But a sudden look of understanding crossed his face as he laughed softly at the boy before him. "Oh, I see the confusion now. You think your father was Godric Gryffindor's heir?"

"He was."

Voldemort shook his head as he laughed again, finally turning back to Harry. "Try your mother."

Harry looked stunned. "My...my mother?" But abruptly Voldemort's earlier story line came back to him as his face wrinkled up in disgust. "You wanted to have a child with my mother!?"

Voldemort shrugged. "For some reason your father wasn't very keen on the idea."

"Imagine." Harry stated in a flat, level tone.

"Keep in mind, Harry, your parents were not yet married themselves. But still, I realized rather quickly the idea was likely the stupidest I had ever had, knowing of your father's already growing love for your mother. But unfortunately, that thought didn't come to me until after I had suggested it to them both."

"And?"

"Well, your father had a few choice suggestions for me and then I was more or less thrown out."

"No kidding." Harry replied in a flat voice.

"For several years I neither saw nor heard of your parents with the exception of your birth. I was delighted for them. A child was the one thing they wanted more than anything in the world. I suppose in part that was where I got that ludicrous idea to begin with.

But in that time I had continued in my quest on my own. I had gathered followers. Gained power. Made plans. Plans I wanted your father to be a part of again. I wanted my friend back. I needed him. His support. His ideas. His belief in our ideals. I wanted to tell him I had found the real evil in the world. The force that drove all the others. One that I had spent the last few years fighting alone.

That of the Ministry of Magic.

I had seen the way it corrupted people. The lies it told. The secrets it kept. This was the true evil we had always sought to fight against.

I knew I could make your father see that. Bring that spark back to life that we had shared. That ideal of a better way of life for our people. For the wizarding world.

And so I went one night to see him. It was the second worst mistake of my life. I should have stayed away from your father. Realized he had what he wanted. He had a young son. A family that depended on him now. He wasn't some grand revolutionary anymore.

But I went anyway."

"Wait a minute!" Harry put in. "My parents were under a Fedelius Charm. How could you even find them?"

"The same way the ministry says I found them originally."

Harry thought for a second. "Pettigrew."

"Was still their secret keeper. And still a loyal servant to me. But he didn't tell me where they were so that I could go and kill them, Harry. In fact, if anything, I was quite concerned when Pettigrew told me about the Fedelius Charm. And the real reason for it."

Harry gave Voldemort a skeptical look. "And that was?"

"Just what you were always told, Harry. It was to protect you and your parents from me."

Harry gave the man a confused look. "I don't understand. Why did that concern you?"

"You don't understand because you don't know the whole story yet, Harry." Voldemort supplied. "Remember, I told you I had been continuing the fight your father and I had started in school. But I wasn't fighting a faceless enemy anymore. I was fighting what I saw as that one great evil force driving all the others.

I was fighting against the Ministry."

Voldemort paused, seeming to re-gather his thoughts before he continued. "Let me give you some advice, Harry." He said suddenly. "Never challenge people's beliefs. Doesn't matter if you agree with them or not. Just never..., ever, try to change what people believe is right and wrong. It'll get you into a great deal of trouble every time.

The Ministry, at first, saw me as nothing more than a nescience. A lunatic out to stir things up. But for the most part harmless.

That was their mistake.

My mistake was that, while I succeeded in finding my enemy, I seriously underestimated him.

As I began gathering my followers, the Ministry started to realize that, while they may think I was a lunatic, others did not. People were listening to me, Harry. And they were listening a lot.

So the Ministry realized they had a problem on their hands. One that needed a quick but permanent fix.

And they found one."

"To kill you?" Harry ventured.

"Worse." Voldemort replied. "They worked to discredit me. And I gave them all the tools they needed to do that. I was challenging people's beliefs. Long held, age old beliefs. Some people listened. Most did not. And that was my failing that the Ministry exploited.

Plain and simple, they labeled me a raving lunatic before the whole wizarding community. They called my ideas dangerous and said I was out to destroy the world.

Your father, sadly, was one of the people who listened to them. He hadn't seen or heard from me in years. So to him, I'm sure I came off sounding exactly like what the Ministry painted me as to the rest of the world. Your father did not see the Ministry as the evil it was. But then again, it didn't hurt one bit that he was working for them at the time either. So he was being spoon fed their logic for a long time.

My mistakes, Harry, and I made quite a few, believe me, were that over and over again I underestimated my opponent. I didn't consider that the Ministry had been playing this game for a lot longer than I had, and they knew the tricks much better than I, and how to use them.

They knew about your father's and my association in school. And they knew your father had once believed in my cause. That, they saw, as a serious problem. They saw your father as a possible weapon I could use against them. And so they devised a plan that would solve all their problems for them.

The Ministry went to your father and told him that he was being targeted by me, and, being his friends, they wanted to protect him by placing a Fidelius charm on him to keep me from finding him. But what the charm was for and what they told your father were two different things."

"Different?"

"Oh, it served one purpose, Harry. But what each person wanted out of it were very different. Your father believed he needed the protection of the charm to keep him safe from Lord Voldemort, an insane wizard bent on destroying the wizarding community. The Ministry just wanted a sure-fire way of keeping me from ever finding your father, not because of what I might do, but because they didn't want me talking to him. They knew I could dispel their lies easily enough and then they would lose control of your father. So you see, one charm, one purpose, two very different reasons.

But the Ministry had no idea Pettigrew was already in my camp, so-to-speak. And the fact that your father made him his secretkeeper was just pure luck on my part. All I had to do was bide my time and let the Ministry grow over-confident that their plan to keep your father and I separated had worked.

But eventually I told Pettigrew I wanted to see your father. Even if your father turned me down, I told myself, it would still be good to see him once more.

What I didn't realize was that the Ministry was a greater evil than I had imagined. And I had woefully underestimated them. Your father reacted much as I imagined he would. My first task was to get him to believe I wasn't there to kill him. My second was to just get him to listen to me and not see me as the insane, raving lunatic the Ministry had told him I was. But I managed both in the end. First by handing over my own wand as a good faith gesture, and then by simply laying the fact out before your father to see for himself. He was initially intrigued, but the responsibility of his family held him back. I told him I understood, and I prepared to leave. Another time. Another day. I was willing to wait. Your father, I was sure, would eventually see the Ministry for what they really were, and realize, as I had, that they had to be stopped.

But that was when everything went so terribly wrong."  
"What happened?"

"The Ministry had followed me to your father's house. And they ambushed me there. You see, I had made quite a name for myself with the Ministry of magic. And I had done some of the things they said of me before the murder of your parents. But those acts were against them. But they used them, distorted them in the public eye, and turned them against me. They told people I was killing those of unpure bloodlines, but it was them...their people, their agents I was attacking. I wasn't choosing people randomly. Or killing people because they were married to muggles or any of that other nonsense. I was fighting against the Ministry.

But they laid their trap and they laid it very well. Your father and I tried to protect you and your mother. But there were simply too many Ministry Aurors. Your father's concern was for you and your mother. He saw two Aurors running after her as she ran up the stairs with you. He told me to go after them, To protect you and your mother while he tried to hold the others off downstairs. Above all else, he told me to get you and your mother out of the house by whatever means was necessary.

Your mother had taken you upstairs to try and hide. I saw the two heading up the stairs and I went after them. One of them turned back as I came up the stairs and attacked me. He took me by surprise and managed to get me off balance. As I fell back, he grabbed my wand and pulled it from my hand. As soon as I regained my footing, I shot up the stairs. My one goal was that not one of them got to the room where your mother was. But I was simply too late."

"But my scar." Harry stated. "I got that scar from you. I know that's true."

Voldemort gave a deep sigh. "Unfortunately, yes it is, Harry. But, again, you didn't get that scar the way your were told. Didn't you ever wonder how you survived the killing curse? Why you of all people survived?"

"It was because of my mother. Because of a charm she put on me."

Voldemort gave him a small, sad smile. "A very lovely, heartwarming story, Harry. But it isn't true. You see, when I got to the room, the Aurors were already there. I attacked one of them and in the fight, got hold of his wand. But the other one, the one who had taken my wand, had it raised and pointed at your mother and spoke the killing curse. I attempted to deflect it with the wand I had at my disposal. But trying to use someone else's wand is haphazard at best. I couldn't stop the spell. All I could do was deflect it. And the spell...hit you instead. The reason you survived was because the spell had already been partly defused by my counterspell. But it had enough power left in it to leave you with that scar."

"So what happened then?"

"They must have thought the spell killed you, because they never bothered looking at you again. The first man, the one with my wand, pointed it again at your mother and fired off another curse and kill her. I wasn't able that time to even try and deflect it. I was still fighting with the other man, who had managed to knock me back on the floor. I was sure it was the end for me as well. Surely they would finish what they came to do.

But the Aurors suddenly just...stopped. One by one they apparated away. Leaving me alone. I was sure you and your mother were both dead. I went in search of your father, and found him downstairs, also dead. I found my wand left behind as well near your father's body. Apparently they had used it to kill him as well before they left.

I tried to think of what to do. The people I had tried to protect had been killed by the very evil I sought to warn them against.

But before I could sort things out, or even think what to do, I heard an engine. Someone was coming. And I knew exactly how things would look to anyone coming upon the scene at the moment. No one was going to listen to me, I was sure of that. And so I did the only thing I thought I could think to do at that moment. I ran.

Before I even made it back to my home the Ministry had half of the wizarding world believing that I had attacked and killed your parents. The fact you had survived with a scar delivered in part by my own wand was just icing on their cake."

**Q&A**

MasterLupin:

**Ya, the government uses accounting practices that would make Enron look financially stable to say that daylight savings time saves energy, it doesn't; it costs more energy make all the adjustments to software so that it understands a foolish concept, then savings time supposedly just saved.  
As for the story, I knew Harry would be separated with someone else from the party but wasn't sure when. I see Voldemort as wise choice, to defeat Harry use the enemy of my enemy. But to add a nice twist that is sure to keep a young mind stuck in a thought loop, have the enemy be someone who he could never kill.**

Point well taken, Dear. But I never said Harry was the wizard's enemy. He has, in fact, up until now treated him as everything but, giving Harry the benefit of the doubt and blaming the others for his actions.

Also, who ever said Voldemort was someone Harry couldn't kill? The way I read the books was that Harry was the only one who could kill Voldemort. He just had to be willing to die in the process as well.

But I will say this. There is a lot more going on here than you don't know. And to be fair, there is no way you could know unless you hacked into my computer and stole my files. Which would be a good trick in and of itself, seeing as I have no internet connection to my primary computer where all my story files are stored.

But these chapters do open up a tremendous amount of information if you look for it, as will the next few chapters.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome chapter! Roland's an interesting addition, but I'm slightly wary of him. He's an odd little fellow and he's been acting rather strangely. Hmm.**

Gee, and everyone else is just running around saying how cute he is!

I'll give you credit though, and point out I never said where Roland's allegiances lie or if he was to be trusted. For all anyone knows at this point, Voldemort may be perfectly correct in calling him a scaly little opportunist.

Skahducky:

**Well, Roland already got them to some stairs they probably wouldn't have noticed otherwise. I guess he never realized the particlar ward that split the group up was there because either the wizard in the north just put it up or he's always been alone.**  
**If the wizard thinks Harry and Voldemort are the two keys to the lock, then how come he didn't split them up? Even if he was hoping the rest of the group would give up, wouldn't he be able to stop the search altogether just by splitting up Harry and Voldemort?**

**Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

You're making an awful lot of assumptions about Roland that have yet to be proven right or wrong, Dear. (See above answer.)

But we'll go with the stair thing. Roland has, after all, been in the castle for three years. It is perfectly possible he knew where the stairs were and how to find them.

Whether or not the rest of that statement was correct or not remains to be seen.

Very good and very valid points, Dear. But you're playing with fire here, and I'm doing so even more to even try to answer you. There is absolutely nothing I can say here that won't just give the whole thing away, so I'm afraid I have to just stay quiet on this one.

Enjoy the next chapter. It should answer a lot of your questions.

All reviews are as of 03/18/2007.

And remember;

You know you've been in animal rescue too long when not only are animals allowed on your furniture, but people visiting have to sit on the floor because the dog has 'territorial issues'.


	61. Chapter 61

A/N: A brief comment. Or actually, a little insight into the story for you.

Did no one notice, in all Voldemort was saying, one blatant, glaring error? I won't tell you what it was right off, because it is mentioned in this chapter and has to do with timelines.

This is actually an error I missed while writing this story, and when I went back and re-read it, picked up on it. The good thing is, it worked very well into the plot, so I just left it.

Serendipity. What more can I say?  
Except, as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR: POINT OF VIEW**

**(PART FOUR)**

Harry stared at the man before him for a long time. But finally he shook his head. "You expect me to believe any of that?" He ask. "You killed my parents. I know you did."

"Everyone knew that Sirius Black killed Peter Pettigrew as well, Harry." Voldemort answered back calmly. "And you still to this day can't convince them of anything different. But you know your godfather didn't kill him. And I know he didn't kill him. But who would believe the tale Sirius would tell? It's ludicrous, is it not? Claiming Peter turned himself into a rat and escaped and has been hiding all these years as a young boy's pet. What an insane notion."

Harry paused, thinking about what the man was saying for a moment.

"You see, our situations aren't really that different, your godfather and me. We're both being accused of a crime we didn't commit, with no real way to prove ourselves innocent."

"You haven't exactly been doing much to prove yourself innocent all these years." Harry pointed out. "You've been killing people for years. You've tried to kill me several times. That hardly lends much credibility to your story."

"You're packing a lot of misinformation into that statement, Harry." Voldemort replied. "First of all, you say I've been trying to kill you for years. Did I try to kill you up until you went to Hogwarts? Did I even try to contact you?"

"You didn't know where to find me." Harry protested.

Voldemort gave him a small, condescending laugh. "Really?" He said. "You think a small Fidelius charm would really keep me from finding you if I wanted to? You underestimate me."

"Then what about when I got to school? My first year here you tried to kill me."

"Really? And did I ever once say I was going to kill you, Harry. All I was trying to do was talk to you. You were coming into your powers then. And you were showing great promise of becoming a very powerful wizard. All I wanted to do was talk to you. To be given the opportunity to explain things to you." Voldemort stated. But his expression quickly turned into a frown. "But the Ministry had already gotten to you just as they had to your father. I could see history replaying itself all too clearly before my eyes. You believed me to be a monster. An insane murderer, just as the Ministry painted me."

"You possessed Professor Quirrell..."

Voldemort shook his head. "Who possessed who, Harry? Do you honestly think that in that state I was strong enough to control Quirrell? Quirrell did what he wanted with little regard to me. I was simply 'along for the ride', as it were. Quirrell was my one and only chance to talk to you."

"Fine." Harry snapped back. "Then explain the chamber under the school. You were trying to kill me."

Voldemort sighed again as he studied the ceiling. "This is a large part of my problems, you see, Harry. Things happen...bad things, and I am automatically blamed because someone finds a loose connection between me and what has happened."

"It was your diary!" Harry stated emphatically.

Voldemort turned back to him. "Not really. As you well know, the diary was little more than a 'trap', if you will. But not one set by me. Lucius Malfoy found that blasted diary and made what he saw as good use of it. In the day it was created, that diary was nothing more than a prank. An advanced one, to be sure, but a prank none the less. One I never got to employ. Over the next few years I lost track of the thing. Apparently Lucius Molfoy was the one who found it. And again, my diary, a connection to me, and despite the fact that I had no part in how it got into anyone's hands, because it was mine, I got the blame. Because it was mine, but someone else made poor use of it. Blame Voldemort. He's likely behind it anyway.

And what about your third year? Where was I, Harry? Trying yet again to kill you? No. Your godfather had escaped Azkaban. I was well aware of that fact. And I was working like mad behind the scenes trying to keep the Ministry off his trail. I wanted him to reach you, Harry, but I could have no part on it. If I did, you might not believe him. You would have seen him as just another one of my followers. And I needed you to hear Sirius' story. His situation and mine were so similar, if you believed him, you just might believe me when the time came for you to hear the truth from my side of things."

"You killed Cedric. You were going to kill me. Deny that."

"Of course I deny it, Harry. I didn't kill the boy. Peter did. And as for killing you, I was going to do no such thing. I needed a body. And I needed one fast. The Deatheaters were getting out of control. Without a body, I stood no chance of getting control of them again."

"I didn't imagine that duel." Harry said in a flat, emotionless voice.

Voldemort stared down at the boy, judging his words carefully. "No. You didn't. But at that point, Harry, I didn't think I would ever be able to reach you anymore. A decision I have lived to regret. Thankfully, you did manage to escape, and I had enough presence of mind left to not go after you. I wanted to. I thought my only hope was...to stop you. But then I thought that perhaps...just perhaps...if you were given a little more time, I could try again to reason with you. Make you see the truth."

"Your truth." Harry replied. "Nothing you've done has backed up anything you've said. For years you've been killing and attacking people for no reason."

"I've been, Harry?" Voldemort ask. "A good trick for a man without a body."

"Your Deatheaters were..."

"And you think I have control over everything my Deatheaters do?" Voldemort cut him off. "I have news for you then, as well as proof." Voldemort lifted the hem of the robe he wore, exposing the twisted mass of flesh that was the remains of the leg. "As I told the old wizard, I had planned for months to appropriate your godfather's body. If that was my goal, why would I allow injury this severe to be done to the body? You think this isn't a serious complication that could have been easily avoided? Your godfather was to be a lure. Nothing more. But a few...overzealous Deatheaters took it upon themselves to inflict a bit of punishment. And they were dealt with for it."

"You gave the order for him to be killed. Snape said so. You were there."

"A regrettable decision, to be sure. But the man was injured, and I didn't see him as honestly surviving. Had you seen him at the time, you'd have likely considered the action yourself. But again, the actions taken against him were not on my orders and those responsible were dealt with."

"You didn't seem to mind too much."

Voldemort sighed quietly to himself. "Sometimes, Harry, a leader has to make some very hard decisions. Among them are those that keep him in a certain light before his followers. Sometimes I am as much at the mercy of the Deatheaters as they are at mine. It is one of the main reasons the Elite were formed. They are absolutely loyal to me. They do only as I tell them and I trust them completely. Not just anyone is chosen to join them. You have to have showed your loyalty to make such an appointment. Because they are the ones I depend on so completely. The Deatheaters are sometimes little more than rabble rousers. Too often these days they are more a dangerous mob. You saw them at the Quidditch World Cup? You think I would have sanctioned that? Some stupid display that accomplished nothing!?"

"Then why not just put an end to it? Why not stop the killing and find some other way to deal with the Ministry?"

Voldemort crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at the teenager, shaking his head past a bemused smile. "Great magic, you really are very naive sometimes, aren't you? You know the old saying, Harry, you accomplish nothing by coming down to your enemies level? It's a wonderful theory, but sometimes it just isn't true. Sometimes you really do have to fight fire with fire. After years of trying to reason with people, talk to them, resolve things diplomatically, I simply realized I wasn't getting anywhere while the Ministry was slandering me from one end of the wizarding community to the other. And so I decided maybe it was time to make all their hard work work for me."

"Work for you?" Harry gave him a puzzled stare.

"Your parents were gone, Harry. You were, for the most part, out of my reach and in the hands of the Ministry. And me? I had been labeled a monster so without conscience I would stoop to killing a helpless child.

I was alone again. I had a few followers, but not enough to stand up against the Ministry. Letting things continue as they were my followers and I wouldn't have last a few more months before the Ministry probably would have hunted the last of us down and destroyed us. I couldn't let that happen. They simply couldn't be allowed to win this war. I realized I had to do something. Something very drastic if we were to survive.

Well, the Ministry had been working for years to convince everyone I was a soul-less murdering lunatic. I decided why not just go with it?"

Harry's puzzled frown grew deeper. "I don't understand."

"'Voldemort', Harry, was not my creation. He was the creation of the Ministry of Magic. A great, powerful, evil, feared wizard that even they themselves were cautious of. A man so feared in the wizarding world no one would even dare say his name.

That was the man I became, Harry. I had no choice. One of the things I learned from my enemy, from the Ministry, was sometimes the best thing you could do was to just let the circumstances work for you. They had been doing it with me for years. They manipulated me, led me into traps, and used my name to explain away every disgusting act they themselves were responsible for. So I simply decided if I was going to be blamed for the crimes, I might as well take the notoriety for them as well.

So I became Lord Voldemort. And people did come to fear me. Although I never even performed half of the acts attributed to me, people believed whatever the Ministry told them, just as they always had. And I did nothing to dissuade their beliefs. I was getting what I needed out of a reputation I never earned. People feared me. My own followers began to believe what they heard from the Ministry, even thought they knew most of the reports being attributed to my doing were false, they still believed them because I did nothing to change that.

It's not exactly the persona I would have chosen for myself, mind you. I would have far preferred that people listened to me when I had first tried to tell them what the true evil in their community was. But they weren't interested in that. They wouldn't listen to Tom Riddle spouting off about what atrocities the Ministry was doing. But they would listen to the Ministry tell them what a powerful and feared wizard Lord Voldemort was.

Again, not exactly the persona I would have chosen for myself, but it got things done I could never have done on my own. But that's all Voldemort is really, Harry. He's just a part I play. Under it all, I am no different from anyone else. Just a man who is trying to fight for something he believes in."

As they continued through the maze of tunnels Harry fell into an uneasy silence. Everything the man had said sounded reasonable. Even believable. But how could it be true that the Ministry was behind his parents deaths?

But hadn't Dumbledore even voiced misgivings about the activities of the Ministry as of late. As well as others who felt they were acting more in their own interests than in those of the whole community?

But his thoughts were cut short when Voldemort brought them to an abrupt halt. Harry looked up in surprise to find himself facing a doorway which was showing itself as a free and clear passage to the outside. Beyond the door the forest beckoned as sunlight filtered through the trees. Looking about him Harry was equally amazed to find they were suddenly standing in a large courtyard area. But he had no recollection of how they had gotten there.

"Where are we?" Harry ask, still looking about the courtyard.

"Where we are isn't as important as where we're going." Voldemort replied. "Which is out of this place."

Harry immediately stopped the man as he started for the doorway, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. "But what about the others?!" He asked. "We can't leave them here!"

Voldemort turned back to the teenager. "They've likely already found their own way out, Harry. The wizard could have kept us in this castle indefinitely. But he's giving us the key to the way out. Perhaps he's tired of whatever little games he's been playing and now we're free to go. I suggest we don't look this gift horse in the mouth too long and hard, all right?"

But Harry held back still. "If the others are outside already, where are they?" He ask. "They wouldn't leave without us."

"Perhaps their exit isn't the same as ours." Voldemort suggested. "We won't know until we get out of here and check, will we?"

"And someone suggested that once we leave the castle we may never be able to get back in." Harry recalled. "That maybe, since it wasn't here to start with, maybe it'll disappear when we leave."

"When we all leave, Harry." Voldemort offered. "Maybe we have to all be on the outside."

"And maybe this is just another way he's trying to separate us."

"There's only one way to find out."

"I'm not leaving." Harry stated resolutely. "Not until I see the others on the outside."

Voldemort stared down at the boy with an equally set expression. "You're being difficult." He stated. "Now stop arguing and let's go."

Harry watched the man start once again towards the doorway. "Why are you so eager to leave?" He asked.

Voldemort stopped and turned back to him. "Why?" He ask in a tone of disbelief. "Why? Are you serious? We have been led around by our noses in this place, we are making no progress at all, and it obviously isn't where this wizard is. Why stay? Unless pointless pass-times are your hobby."

Harry was about to respond when Voldemort suddenly grabbed him and pulled him to the ground. A streak of light cut over their heads and erupted in a shower of sparks next to them.

Before he could think of how to react, Harry found himself grabbed and dragged to the side behind a small outcropping of wall.

"Another good reason not to linger." Voldemort suggested. "We're sitting targets." Looking about he pointed to the doorway. "If we run, we can still make it to the doorway."

"Are you crazy?!" Harry nearly shouted. "Talk about being a target. The only difference will be we'll be moving ones."

"Better that than just sitting here."

Harry looked around the courtyard. "We can make it easier back to the opening at the head of the courtyard." He observed. "It's shorter and there's more cover."

"Don't be insane! That will take us right back into the castle. The last place we want to go."

Harry stared up at the man. What he was planning wasn't the brightest idea he likely ever had, but it was the only way to answer a question that had suddenly worked its way into his mind.

Voldemort started to argue the point further when Harry suddenly bolted from their cover out into the courtyard. He headed straight for the doorway leading back into the castle. Behind him he could hear Voldemort calling for him to stop, which he only did when a flash of spells exploded across his path, effectively cutting him off from the doorway. Behind him the area stayed clear. Harry dove behind another outcropping, turning back to where they were to see an very angry Voldemort staring across the way at him.

Giving a quick look to where the spells were coming from, Voldemort headed out across the open area at a dead run. As soon as he stepped out from the cover of the wall, the spells were fired. But as Harry watched, not one of them seemed to come even close to their target. In fact, they seemed to stay deliberately away from him, firing over his head or well behind him.

For his part, Voldemort kept as low to the ground as he could while still running, with his arms up to shield himself from any debris.

Harry gave the man a less than worried look as he dove for cover next to him.

Voldemort gave the boy next to him an exasperated look. "Now will you agree that the doorway out is the only way to go?" He stated in a hiss.

Harry set a solid stare on the man. "No." He said, meeting the man's astonished gape.

"Do you want to die?!" He asked, the temper in his voice rising.

Harry shook his head. "We're not going to die." He stated confidently. "Because you won't let them kill us."

Without another seconds hesitation, Harry stepped out from behind the cover of the wall and into the open. As soon as he appeared the spells started to fire again. And again, although close, they only cut across his path as he stepped towards the doorway leading back into the castle.

After several more steps, the spells stopped abruptly. Pausing, Harry finally turned, not at all surprised to find the older wizard standing almost right behind him.

"Well done, young Mr. Potter." He said in a now calm and reasonable voice. "But I must ask, how did you know?"

"That they wouldn't kill us?" Harry replied, "Or that you aren't Voldemort?"

The man gave him a slow smile. "I'm a reasonable man." He answered. "Let's start with the first question. How did you know they wouldn't harm you?"

Harry stared up at him. With the sun's position behind the man, Harry was actually grateful for the clouds so he could still see the man's face, which, without one ounce of warmth in the smile, warned him to still be on guard.

"Because you wanted us to leave more than anything else." He answered. "And all the people firing spells at us seemed to want the same thing. For us to leave. They weren't trying to hit us, just stop us from going back into the castle."

"Very good." The man answered. "But un-necessary, really."

"Un-necessary?" Harry ask with a slightly confused expression.

Around them the courtyard suddenly vanished and Harry found himself standing once again in a corridor inside the castle. "Yes." The man replied. "Because, as you can see, we never really left it."

Harry took a step back from the man as he looked about, making a mental map of his surrounding using the guise of simply looking around. "Are we exactly where we started?" He ask.

The man waved a finger back and forth in front of him. "Uh-uh." He stated. "First you answer the second question. How did you know?"

Harry stifled a small laugh. "That was the easy part." He answered.

The man raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"You made mistakes from the first." Harry pointed out. "You said you met my dad when you were in school, indicating you were there at the same time. But Voldemort was well past my dad's class in school. He would have graduated years before my father even got there. But I thought I might have just gotten the wrong impression, or you just mis-stated something. And I had almost let it go until I found us suddenly standing in the courtyard."

"And the problem there was...?"

"I didn't remember getting there. The same thing happened when we ended up in the corridor together. I suddenly looked up and we were just there. It wasn't like we walked through a ward. It was more like we were...taken out of one scene and placed in another. But you weren't the least bit surprised this time.

Plus, there was Roland's reaction to you. Granted, he and Voldemort have never gotten along so far, but his reaction to you wasn't dislike, it was fear. And Roland never backed down to Voldemort. If he was afraid this time, it was because he was facing someone he had every right to be afraid of. Like someone who had had him put in a cage to die.

Then you were far too eager to get us to leave the castle. And when I wouldn't agree, suddenly spells were being fired at us, all trying to direct us to go out the doorway. But the biggest mistake you made was running across the courtyard."

The man looked indignant. "I made it." He stated sullenly.

Harry nodded. "It was 'how' you made it that gave you away." He replied with a small smile. "You ran like a scared rabbit. Voldemort may be many things, but he's no 'coward'." he added, recalling the man's earlier words, "He wouldn't have 'run' across that courtyard. He would have 'fought' his way across it."

"All very well thought out, Mr. Potter. I'm impressed."

"Now answer a question for me." Harry replied. "Where is Voldemort? And the others?"

The man smiled down at him, and again, there wasn't a single ounce of warmth in that smile. "That's two questions, Mr. Potter. Which should I answer? Or shall I choose?" He added quickly, before Harry could reply. "I think I'll take the second one. They're still here in the castle, as are you. But you can all leave, now, and return safely to your home. All you have to do is ask." He offered, the smile never once leaving his face.

Harry stood before the man, unsure of what to do when a small voice hissed in his ear. "Harry. Run." Was all it offered.

But he also knew good advice when he heard it.

Wand still in hand, Harry brought it up suddenly, and shielding his own eyes, brought it to life with a quick spell, illuminating the corridor with a flash of light.

Having already planned an escape route, Harry headed for the opening he remembered and ran for all he was worth down the passageway.

But a single word brought him to an abrupt halt.

"Ward!" The little snake warned.

Harry skidded to a halt. Turning to the side, he noticed Roland now laying partially over one shoulder. A niggling suspicion came quickly to mind at the sight of the little snake, but Harry figured it would have to wait until later to get sorted out.

"Where have you been?" He ask.

"Staying out of sight, like any smart snake would do." Roland replied.

"So where do we go?"

"Back."

Harry turned sharply back to the small snake, suspicions once again coming to mind. "If we go back, we're walking right back to him, Roland."

"And if you walk through that ward, it's the same thing. The only difference is if you retrace your steps yourself, he won't be expecting it. He'll be waiting for the ward to do it for him."

Harry considered the logic, then finally nodded. "All right. But you're coming with me." He added. "If this is a trap, you'll be right there with me."

"Our options are seriously limited, Harry." Roland pointed out. "This is the one that offers the best route of survival. When you fail just 'show up' back in the corridor, as it were, he'll wonder what went wrong and he'll apparate to where we are now. By then, hopefully, we'll be where he is now, and ready to take off down that corridor, where there are fewer wards and we actually stand a chance of getting somewhere away from here."

Harry considered the explanation, as confusing as it was, but finally nodded in agreement. "You'd best be telling the truth this time." He stated as he turned and began slowly and quietly retracing his steps back down the corridor.

As long as he had run, Harry figured it took about five minutes to make his way back to the head of the corridor.

From the sound of things, the wizard was not a patient man. Still in his disguise as Voldemort, he paced back and forth in front of the corridor's opening, muttering to himself all the while.

"Why hasn't the ward worked yet?" He stated irritably. "The boy should be here by now. There's no other way out. He couldn't have apparated. He didn't just disappear. That stupid snake wouldn't have told him anything. Where is he?!"

Finally the man's frustration seemed to come to a head as he stopped in front of the corridor, causing Harry to pull back from where he stood pressed against the wall, ready to take off again if the man took a single step towards the opening. But instead of moving anywhere, the man stood still as stone as he stared in front of him.

"Becca!" He bellowed, the sound of the call echoing through the corridors, carrying with it the man's aggravation.

Instantly Harry saw the small form of the woman materialize in front of the man. Standing with her head bowed like a subservient vassal, the woman spoke in a low, frightened voice.

"Master?"

"Where is the boy, Becca?" He demanded, anger driving every word. "Why hasn't your ward brought him to me?"

The woman didn't so much as look up. "The ward will only bring the boy to you if he steps through it, master. If it has not, then he didn't..."

"I did not ask for explanations on how wards work." He yelled. "I want only to know where the boy is!"

"But master, I was only..."

The sound of the strike echoed through the halls like the crack of a whip as the man's hand hit the woman across the side of her face.

Harry jumped at the sound. This was Becca's generous, benevolent master? But he simply added that thought to his growing list of things he had to sort out as he abruptly came up with a new plan of action.

"Harry! No!" Roland shouted.

But Harry was already moving. Heading towards the opening of the corridor, he thankfully had surprise on his side as he hit the man head-on, knocking him off balance and into the opposite wall. Without once stopping to consider his actions, he grabbed the woman's hand as he turned and headed off down the corridor in the opposite direction. Most of the side corridor's, he reasoned, were probably warded like the other one. Any one of them would simply take him straight back to where the wizard was. But at least the way they had come he knew to be clear, providing it was the same corridor.

Harry kept running until he felt a solid pull on his hand. Turning back to the woman behind him he expected to have to start an argument about their need to keep moving.

But to his surprise the woman wasn't even looking at him. Instead she was paying far more attention to the wall next to them, quickly running her hand over it. To his added amazement, under her hand the wall simply dissolved, leaving behind an opening they could easily get through.

Without hesitation, the woman stepped through it, pulling Harry with her, then, without a word, sealed the opening the same way before collapsing against it with a sigh of relief.

"How did you do that?" Harry ask. "You don't even have a wand."

The woman ignored his question. "That was very foolish, Harry." She stated instead. "You've done nothing more than make him angrier than he already is."

"I'm not the one he struck."

The woman waved the comment off. "That does not matter. It is simply to let me know I have done something wrong. But had he hit you...he might have actually injured you. This would not have been good."

Harry stared at the woman for a moment. She did not, in fact, show a single bit of evidence of being hit. But he knew what he heard and the blow had not missed its target.

"Well, I appreciate the thought." He replied. "But why would you serve someone who abuses you?"

The woman gave him a questioning stare. "Abuse?"

"He hit you." Harry clarified.

"I did something wrong." Becca answered. "My master's right is to correct me."

"You don't have to hit someone to make a point." Harry responded pointedly. "He could have just told you what you did that was wrong. Or what he thought was wrong."

"He was angry."

"That doesn't make it right. And it wasn't even anything you did wrong. It wasn't your fault I didn't go through the ward."

The woman sighed in exasperation as she got to her feet. "This conversation has no point." She stated plainly.

"Harry!" Roland advised in a quiet hiss. "Crazy people. Not good reasoning skills. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"She's not crazy, Roland. She's scared...and maybe a little confused about some things."

Roland pulled himself up on Harry's shoulder and turned to face him as he coiled his body under him. "OK. Look, you seem to be having a little trouble getting this. So let me spell it out for you. Harry, she's as crazy as he is. Case closed."

During the conversation, the woman was taking a keen interest in Roland. Slowly she reached a hand out towards him, which he noticed at the last minute. Pulling quickly away he ticked his tail back and forth in front of her. "Ach, ach, ach. No touching the snake. We don't like it." He informed her. "And we tend to bite people who disregard the warning."

"You don't bite." Harry stated.

Roland quickly turned to him. "Not helping, Harry, OK."

But the woman's look clearly stated her interest hadn't diminished in the least. "You're a snake!" She stated with enthusiasm.

"And you're a biology 101 graduate! Congratulations!" Roland replied with the same enthusiasm. But he quickly lowered his voice as he turned back to Harry. "Can we possibly get the heck out of here while she's getting her diploma please?"

"I like snakes." She stated suddenly.

Roland turned back to her. "Like?" He snapped. "Lady, all you like about us is the way we fit into cages."

The woman looked duly insulted. "Cages?" She questioned. "Why would someone want to put you in a cage?"

Roland looked a bit stunted at the question. "I was right." He murmured. "She's nuts."

But Harry quickly took over the conversation again. "Becca, don't you know what was done to the snakes here?"

The woman gave him a genuinely confused expression. "Done?"

Harry nodded. "All the snakes we've seen, except for Roland here, were put in cages and left to die, Becca."

The woman's eyes grew wide in disbelief. "Why would anyone do such a thing?!"

"Your master did it. Because he was afraid the snakes were spies for Voldemort."

The woman's wide-eyed stare disappeared immediately. "That is a lie. My master would do no such thing. He had me bring him the snakes because he said they would be useful allies against our enemies."

Roland shook his head. "What a load of..."

"She seemed very sincere, Roland." Harry quickly but quietly cut him off. "Like she honestly didn't know what we were talking about."

The little snake sighed in exasperation. "OK. Fine. You want to believe her. That's great. Good for you, Harry. I, on the other hand, have never been accused of ever being that gullible."

Harry gave the snake a pointed stare before turning back to the woman. "Becca, do you know where the others are? Can you bring them here?"

Becca's expression took on an almost excited look. "If I do, will you then let me send you back to your home?"

Harry slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Becca. We can't leave yet."

Becca returned his stare. "Then I'm afraid I can't do as you ask. Not unless you agree to leave."

Without so much as a gesture, Becca suddenly vanished from in front of him, leaving Harry standing alone.

"Now what?" He lamented. Looking about he realized they were standing in another hallway.

"Suggestion?" Roland offered. "Start walking."

"But which direction?"

"How about the opposite one from where we came?" Roland ask, pointing with his tail down the hallway.

Harry took the advice and began down the corridor. "Just stay alert for wards." He said. "I don't want to turn a corner and find ourselves back facing that...that Voldemort."

Roland cringed. "Oh...please don't call him that. Even the foul one deserves more honor than that."

"Well, I don't have anything else to call him."

"Try Heudros."

Harry looked over at the little snake. "Heudros? Why Heudros?"

"It's only polite. That's his name."

**Q&A**

Canoncop:

**No, I've never wondered it.  
JK Rowling makes it clear that defeating Voldemort will ultimately be Harry's job.  
Sorry, try again.**

Never wondered what, Dear?

Skahducky:

**What a story! What about Lily saying to take her instead of Harry (in Harry's dementor flashbacks from the third book)? Also, what about Voldemort getting hit by the rebounded curse and becoming a spirit (or whatever he was in book one)?  
Harry might believe Voldemort, but I doubt anybody else will.  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

Thank you, Dear! It's nice to hear once in a while.

Well, we sort of covered that. But, since from this chapter you know who Voldemort actually was, you can't have expected him to cover everything. And, based on the fact that he did miss several things, it followed that he was also going to make some errors in his story, which Harry was all to happy to point out for him.

Actually, quite a few people looked at this version of things and said, 'Yeah. Ok, that's plausible.' And it was sort of fun to rewrite the story from Voldemort's point of view and try and make him seem as much a victim as everyone else. And as seen in this chapter, Harry wasn't nearly as gullible as Roland later accuses him of being.

It was a good thing, however, that the wizard never got a chance to try his version of the story out on Orion, who likely would have started tearing it apart from word one. I mean, if a fifteen year old teenager could find problems with it, surely an Unspeakable wouldn't.

MasterLupin:

**Oh... disregard my last post. I see... this chapter changes thingd. But for to clarify when I say make it someone he couldn't kill. That wasn't in a physical sence of the word, but rather an emotional one. Sirius is his godfather and the closest thing that he has to a father, he wouldn't be able to kill Voldemort while he is in Sirius even if he was to die at his hands if he didn't. However reading this chapter, just re-afferms that Harry wouldn't be able to kill Voldermort while in Sirius body, or even his own.**

Per your instructions, I am disregarding the last post.

Good point. No, Harry wouldn't be able to kill Voldemort presently without endangering Sirius also. However, Harry's current goal in life is not to kill Voldemort. Right now he's just happy if he ever sees home, sweet, home again.

Now, whether or not Harry could kill Voldemort if he were in a different body I think is open to discussion, since I firmly believe that the end of the books will be Harry killing Voldemort by sacrificing himself in some blaze of glory ending.

As for killing someone emotionally, interesting statement. But in canon I think Voldemort has pretty much done that to Harry already. And not a bright move it was. I mean, who would you rather face? An angry, hormonal teenager, bent on revenge with nothing left to lose, or a sweet naive boy who thinks truth and justice will win out in the end?

Boy, did Voldemort screw up.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Ha. Voldemort's right. "Scaly little opportunist." Now he's just annoying. And he's definitely hiding something. The way he was acting is way to fishy. And this new turn of events intrigues me. Voldie didn't kill Harry's parents. Hmm. You've got a very good point going on. The only way anyone could have found out who exactly killed the Potters was to be told. The only people we knew that were definitely there were Lily, James, Harry, and Voldemort.This chapter was great! I'm really interested to where this is going. **

I'm proud of you, Dear. You seem to be the only one picking up on anything suspicious about Roland's actions. And how deep the little snake is in this has yet to be seen.

As I stated before, writing the story from Voldemort's point of view was a tremendous amount of fun. Difficult..., but fun. And it was interesting to show just how easily things could have been twisted about to make him the guilty party.

Tess:

**This is really good. I never thought I'd end up feeling sorry for Voldemort. Is the wizard someone we know? What about the other times Voldemort and Harry have fought? Please update soon. It's taking you over a year to write this, and so far I've read it in two days. Keep going!**

Well, at least I got one person admitting it. And that was in part my goal. To make people feel sorry for the man.

No. The wizard has never been introduced in any story I am aware of. Well..., until tonight, anyway.

(Author gets whiny.) Come on now! I couldn't cover everything! And truthfully, anything after Book V is inadmissible since I stopped reading there. Just got to danged depressing for me.

OK, let re-evaluate this a minute. No, it hasn't taken me a year to write it. The story is already written. Took me about a year and a half. It's taken me over a year to post it, and we still aren't done yet. And actually, my goal is to get this story arc done before Rowling releases the last book. Which is possible. Not likely, but possible. The third part of this story line, Family Ties, is considerably shorter, coming in at just a little over fifteen chapters currently. But as that it is still in production, things can change.

You read a sixty chapter story in two days? You have any idea how many words this thing is (over 200,000 if you're interested.)? Good heavens, someone had a free weekend! Color me impressed.

All reviews are as of 03/25.2007.

And remember;

Three out of four doctor's recommend another doctor.


	62. Chapter 62

A/N: No, I am not going to do any April Fools thing on you guys. Though I seriously considered indicating this was the last chapter of this story and then putting a nice little 'April Fools' at the very end.

The only problem I had with that, is that everybody who reads the A/N's doesn't always read the end part.

Could have been messy.

But as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: THE BINDING**

Deep in the castle Orion led the remainder of the group carefully through a small conduit that barely afforded each person enough room to move along at a low crouch. They had gone through several such conduits recently, finding out from Orion's boggart that these seemed to be almost completely free of wards and allowed them a greater variety of movement through the castle. Whereas the corridors seemed to only take them where the wizard wanted them to go, the conduits ran through walls, ceilings and under floors. From what Orion had garnered from Bo, where as the corridors seemed to be laid out in strict rigidity, the conduit seemed more like they were designed by a child, with little attention to order. Bumping his head for the tenth time, Orion was seriously beginning to think that the short, narrow pipes were designed by a child, with a child's scale in mind.

After what his back told him was hours had passed in their current pipeline, Orion brought the group to a halt. The group had learned early on that one of the drawbacks of the conduits was that sound traveled extremely well through them, so silence was of the utmost importance. But like any good two-edged sword, it also allowed for sound to travel back to them as well.

Straining to listen, Orion could just pick up the faintest sound drifting down the pipeline from up ahead.

Waving to the rest of the group, they proceeded towards the sound as silently as they could.

Eventually the sound led them to a small grating, which showed that the conduit they were presently in was running through the ceilings of the castle, which now allowed them a clear view of the room they were currently going through.

Gathering around the grating, the group observed the strange scene below.

In the room below were thirteen witches and wizards, all standing in a perfect circle, gathered around a slightly raised dais. Standing on the platform was a figure the group was starting to know all too well.

Dressed in a plain gray robe, Becca seemed to take little notice of the group gathered around her as they chanted non-stop in unison.

Arabella scooted up closer to Orion.

"Sort of an odd religious service. And why would they be worshiping Becca?"

Orion gave the scene a deep frown as he listened to the rhythmic chanting. "Their not." He said after a few moments pause. "They're performing a spell."

Arabella turned to him in surprise. "A spell? What sort of spell?"

The Unspeakable's frown deepened. "They're performing a binding."

"A binding? But what for? And why set it up to look like some weird cult worship service?"

Orion continued to watch the scene below. The chanting had grown in volume as well as in the pace in which it was being repeated. "In answer to the last part of that question, I believe that is solely for Becca's benefit. I doubt she even realizes what's really going on. As to why their performing a binding spell, they've just confirmed my worst fears as to what's really going on here." Orion quickly turned to the others. "We need to find Harry and Voldemort and get out of here."

Lupin looked duly surprised at the man's sudden declaration. "Out? Without finding this wizard?"

Orion turned back to him with a quiet hissed reply. "Don't you get it? The wizard isn't the one we've been looking for. Voldemort had it nearly right all along. He was just missing one vital part of the puzzle." He added, pointing back to the grating. "And that part is what's going on down there. None of those people down there are the one we've been looking for. The one we needed to find, the one we needed to fear, was right in front of us all along."

Arabella stared at him for a moment with wide eyes before turning back to the scene below them. "Becca?" She finally asked in a whisper

Orion nodded. "Becca. And if I'm right about what's going on here, then we need to get out of here now."

But before he could move, Arabella grabbed his arm. "Orion! Wait!" She hissed at him. "Something's happening down there."

Orion turned back to the scene below. Indeed, as the chanting had increased, a thin mist begun to circle about Becca, although she herself seemed completely unaware of anything going on around her. Her eyes shut, she stood with her arms and face raised to the ceiling.

Abruptly, the chant stopped, and on the last, sharp cut word, the mist seemed to encase the figure in the center of the dais. then, with a loud cry from the woman, thirteen columns of light shot outwards from her, a single beam directed at each of the thirteen gathered around the dais. As the light struck each one, it seemed to gather itself around them and eventually fade from view.

Once the last of the light faded, the woman on the platform collapsed into an unconscious heap on the floor.

At first the thirteen seemed to take little to no notice of her as they each simply took a deep breath, smiled, and nodded to each other. But they each quickly focused their attention on one of their number, a tall, black-haired man, as he spoke up.

"Once again, our spell was successful." He stated. "But things have begun to deteriorate with this one."

"Deteriorate?" One of the witch's questioned. "In what manner? The spell worked as it always has. I noticed no difference."

The man approached the dais until he stood over the unconscious form of Becca. "She is becoming defiant. She does not listen to orders and is following her own guidance more and more. Heudros himself told me she defied him today. She allowed herself to be taken by the boy without protest, and later she returned without him."

Arabella drew up closer to the grating, trying to hear the man more clearly, but Orion took hold of her arm and gently pulled her back, quickly shaking his head to warn her to keep quiet.

"But that is so unlike Becca." The woman protested. "She's always been so compliant."

"I told you sending her as an emissary to talk to these fools was a bad idea." Another of the wizards spoke up. "That Auror, Black, has been speaking to her. Giving her ideas. Ones that aren't serving us at all."

Orion smiled at the man's statement. "You haven't seen the half of it yet." He murmured. "This definitely changes things though."

The group watched as the thirteen people below slowly began to file out of the room, still talking among themselves. Orion waited patiently until their voices faded before looking back over his shoulder.

"Bo."

Instantly the dark robed figure materialized next to him, hunched over as it squeezed its taller than average frame into the small space.

"I need to get down there." Orion stated, pointing to the area below them. "Can you do that?"

Without a single move on the boggart's part, the man next to him abruptly vanished, reappearing on the ground below while the others watched.

Orion looked about quickly, then immediately crouched by the collapsed figure on the platform.

"Becca?" He urged her, shaking her shoulder slightly. "Come on. I need you awake for this."

The woman gave a soft moan before pulling herself up. Lifting her head she paused for a moment as she fought to focus on the figure in front of her. But as her vision cleared, she suddenly pulled herself about and scooted back across the dais as far from him as she could get. The look on her face one of pure fear.

"What are you doing here?!" She stated, trying, Orion was sure, for all the world to sound authoritative, but failing miserably.

Orion quickly brought his hands up. "Becca, I'm not going to harm you, all right?" He assured her. "Right now, I know your vulnerable."

The woman quickly brought her hand up, palm open to the man in front of her.

Orion pulled back, bringing up a shield in front of him just as a flash of light erupted from Becca's palm and shot towards him.

"Now that wasn't very nice." Orion said, bringing the shield down again as he watched the woman nearly collapse again from the effort of the spell. "You're exhausting yourself, Becca. Wouldn't it be better to instead just listen to what I have to say?"

Becca brought her head back up, a sneer on her lips. "You are my masters enemy. I shall deal with you as you should be."

This time when Becca brought her hand up, Orion didn't so much as make a single move. But the spell was just as easily deflected, this time colliding with an invisible wall, where it simply was absorbed with little fanfare.

A tower of dark robes materialized next to Orion, a soft trill coming from under the hood as the hands executed several quick gestures.

"She's exhausted." Orion answered. "That's why it had no force."

"Your servant can't keep saving you." Becca stated sharply, the sneer never leaving her face.

Orion answered it with a slight smile. "Oh, I assure you, he can. And he can keep it up a lot longer than you, Becca, I promise."

Next to him, Bo immediately began making several quick gestures, the speed of which conveyed his growing excitement along with the fact he seemed to repeat the same gestures several times. All of which Orion didn't seem to take any notice of at all as he kept his eyes on the woman before him. But when the boggart stopped, Orion tilted his head slightly to him. "I didn't tell you because I didn't know for sure." Was all he said.

The woman's eyes darted back and forth between the two. Then suddenly she flung her hand out again, this time releasing a ball of light that collided directly with the boggart.

Bo jumped back with a slight squeak, folding his arms protectively in front of him as he stared down at the woman. For several moments the boggart simply stood, apparently frozen in place. Then finally, in apparent answer, the trilling came again. But there was a decidedly unfriendly tone to it this time, not entirely like the low growl of a dog.

Orion waved him down. "Bo, I told you, she frightened. She's only trying to protect herself."

The boggart didn't relax it's stance one bit, and the growl grew lower.

"Bo," Orion stated, never taking his eyes off the woman in front of him, "Go back to the others, please."

The growl stopped immediately, replaced by the usual soft trilling.

"I'll be fine." He stated. "I appreciate your helping before, but you're only frightening her more. Go back to the others, all right?"

The boggart remained where it was for several moments, not moving, but then just as abruptly as he arrived, vanished.

Becca watched the entire scene with wide, frightened eyes that she tried to mask behind a stone faced expression.

"You're boggart can't protect you forever." She stated empirically.

"I'm hoping he won't have to." Orion replied calmly. "All I want to do is talk to you, Becca? Will you listen to me?"

Orion fully expected another attack. But instead, after several silent moments, the woman surprised him by slowly nodding.

"Becca," he ask in a low, quiet tone, "do you want to leave your masters?"

"Leave?" Becca ask, as thought the word itself was foreign to her.

"Yes. Would you leave them if you could?" He explained. "Would you rather live your own life instead of being trapped here, forced to use your power to feed these leeches that are trying to control you?"

Becca stared back at him as though she didn't understand a word he said. But her expression quickly shifted back to the sneer she had directed at him earlier. "You will not speak of my masters this way. They are kind to me. They help me. Direct me. Keep me safe."

"They use you." Orion corrected. "They abuse you, abuse your power, and keep you prisoner. I'm offering you freedom from that."

Orion could feel the anger growing in the woman like a tidal wide. The instant before she unleashed it he vanished, the area where he had been crouched erupting into a blast of flying debris.

"Well, someone had a little something left over." Orion stated, once again back where he had been before in the pipeline above the room with the others.

Below he watched as Becca pulled herself to her feet even as she scrambled off the platform, heading off in the direction her masters had taken.

"Lets go." Orion advised. "My guess is she's off to tell the others where we are."

The group moved quickly but quietly further down the conduit. At the first opening, Orion changed their direction and took off down the other pipe, moving as fast as they could to get away from the chamber where the others had been gathered.

After Orion was sure they had put a decent amount of distance between themselves and the chamber, he allowed the pace to slow slightly, giving the others a much needed rest but kept them moving, albeit at a slower pace.

After several minutes, Katlin pulled up next to her husband. "What was going on back there?" She ask. "What makes that woman so dangerous all of the sudden?"

Orion tuned to her with a stoic stare. "You haven't figured that out?" He ask. "Even after what we just saw?"

"I saw a group of witches and wizards sucking the very power out of a poor child." Katlin replied, her voice hardened by the obvious contempt she felt for those involved.

"Oh, you don't need to feel sorry for Becca." Orion answered her, scanning the area ahead of them as they moved on. "I'm sure they didn't even get half of what she's got, and if I'm right, she's got plenty to spare."

Katlin stared up at him. "What is it you think you know, Orion?" She ask.

Orion stepped back, ushering the others by as they moved up the conduit past them. Lowering his voice, he turned back to his wife. "Don't you understand yet who she is?" He ask. "What she is?"

Katlin shook her head in confusion. "'What' she is? Orion, all I see is a scared, lonely woman who is being abused by those holding her."

"The spell they were chanting back there," Orion stated, pointing back to where the chamber was, "I've heard that spell before. Seen it used."

"You've heard it before? When?"

"When Bo taught it to me." Orion stated in a flat, emotionless voice. "It's the same spell he used to make me his channeler."

**Q&A**

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome chapter. Finally, Mr. E (Mystery, sorry couldn't help myself) has a name. So Roland's slightly explained. He's still a little annoying. Also, this side of Becca is interesting. Seeing this naive side of her makes me think. She's really not much more than a puppet. See you next chapter! **

Very cute with the name, Dear. Gave PAR a smile.

And as this chapter showed, there isn't one, but thirteen people involved. And there's a reason for that, which comes up later.

Roland's explained? Not by a long shot, trust me. He still has his share of secrets.

I'm sorry he's coming off as annoying. If anything, his primary function was comic relief. Past that, he really does serve a vital function in this story.

Now, there's a lot here I could say in response to what you said about Becca, but as that she's a primary character just now coming into her own in the story, it would sort of spoil it if I said too much. However, based on this chapter alone, you should be able to make several very calculated guesses about Becca's true nature.

Naive? Ummmmm..., yes and no. Depends on the rest of the context in which you're making that statement. Becca is very naive about some things. But not all. She is actually a reasonably intelligent person. It's her circumstances that make her a little unsophisticated, if anything.

MasterLupin:

**Well this was a good chapter, I was a little woried that you were plaing on turning Voldemort into someone he couldn't posibobly be, but in the end it wasn't even him. I didn't see that one coming, I like plot twitst like that. Can't wait for your next post.**

Now, let's back up a moment. Make sure we're all on the same page as it were.

Voldemort did not 'exit' the story until Harry stepped through the doorway at the top of the stairs. Up until then, you had Voldemort through the whole of the story (such as he was). Just wanted to make sure we were clear on that.

Trying to make him into someone he couldn't possibly be? I though the explanation he laid out was pretty reasonable, minus a few glaring errors that even a fifteen year old could see...oh, wait. A fifteen year old did see them.

Never mind!

Well, thank heavens I managed to surprise you. Don't do that very often. Hope I caught you with the actual number of people involved as well.

And if you like the plot twists, I hope you enjoyed the one in this chapter.

Silverfox:

**Heudros ... Wishes she'd had Ancient Greek now.  
Ah, I was wondering about that school thing. More about Voldemort losing the wand he'd already handed to James to the ministry wizards, though and how he lost his body in this version of the tale.**

Fox, solely...SOLELY because I like you, I'm going to save you a lot of trouble and let you in on a little secret about that name. Heudros is one of those names I came up with by closing my eyes, typing a bunch of letters on the keyboard, then making out of them the best thing I could that vaguely resembled a name you could actually pronounce.

Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, place, or Greek mythological character is unintentional and purely coincidental.

OK, I'll give you the wand thing being a bit vague, but the point there was I had to explain off how it was that it was Voldemort's wand that killed Harry's parents when he was claiming not to have done it.

Never went into the body thing in any real detail. But it was pretty much implied as being the same thing. Got hit by a rebounded killing curse.

Sorry about the name thing. Kinda a let down, huh?

Skahducky:

**So is Voldemort (the real one) with the others or is he separated too? How come Roland didn't sense the ward that split them up in the first place? Is Becca under the Imperius Curse or something similar?  
I suppose now that they have a name to give the Wizard in the North, they could potentially research some information about him.  
Anyway, this is a great chapter! Please update soon!**

Now why...why did no one else ask that? If this wasn't Voldemort, and he's not (according to this chapter) with the others, where is he?

Good question, Dear. Let me offer a suggestion to answer that. Did Roland not sense it...or did he already know it was there?

How Becca's masters are controlling her was shown in vague detail in this chapter. But that's not all there is to it. They actually have several leases on her. All of them short.

Actually, they only have the name of one of the wizards. There are, in fact, as this chapter showed, thirteen in all. And there is a reason for that.

All reviews are as of 04/01/2007.

And remember;

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.


	63. Chapter 63

A/N: Folks, I hate to say this, but if your Q&A last week is any indication, you missed out on the whole meaning of Chapter Forty-Seven and I was (once again) being way too convoluted in my story.

A suggestion then.

Go back and reread the last two sentences Orion says. If you get it, wonderful! The story will take on a whole new meaning for you from here on out. If not, it isn't going to be spelled out for a few more chapters.

That's pretty much it for this week.

Except,

as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT - CAPTIVITY**

Each step seemed to echo around him as Harry slowly made his way down the corridor. Having walked for what seemed like hours, Harry had noted that the corridors were growing steadily darker, the only light currently being supplied that of torches hanging from the damp, stone walls. Every so often he could feel Roland stirring in his warm cocoon as his nestled himself closer to the warmth of Harry's back.

Harry had ask Roland if he knew anything about the area they were presently in, but the little snake had said only that he figured they were in the lower regions of the castle, where the dungeons were, and that he knew nothing of the dungeon corridors and wouldn't be of much help guiding Harry through them.

Harry had spent most of his time wondering where the others were and if they were all right. But what was currently praying on his mind the most is if Voldemort was with them or not, and if he wasn't, where was he? Because wherever Voldemort was, and whatever was happening to him, was also happening to Sirius.

He had run over the events a hundred time that had brought him into contact with the wizard. He had walked through the doorway, which had obviously been a ward. But Voldemort had gone through first. So he had to have been effected by the ward as well. But if he was, why hadn't he reappeared in the same place Harry had. Or for that matter, any of the others? Had the ward been set up only to single him out, or both he and Voldemort? Or was Voldemort still with the others and Sirius was currently safe...or as safe as any of them were currently.

Harry was about to wake Roland to see what he might know about that particular ward when a soft sound caught his attention. But it was so faint he wasn't sure if he had heard it or not.

Reaching behind him, Harry gave his robe hood a sharp shake.

"Roland." He whispered.

A small green head slowly slinked its way up thorough the material. Harry could feel each movement the little snake made as he searched for the opening. But finally a soft hissing and a slight tickle of a tongue against his ear made him turn his head.

"I told you I won't be of any help to you down here." The little snake reminded him as he slid up to Harry's shoulder. "I never came down here. It was too dark and cold for my liking."

"Shhhh!" Harry hissed back at him. "Listen."

The little snake lifted his head, his tongue testing the air. "So?"

"Do you hear anything?"

Roland pulled himself up a bit higher on Harry's shoulder until he now sat on top of it.

"Well?" Harry asked.

"A slight sound." Roland replied. "Doesn't sound good though."

Harry couldn't help but be amazed that a sound he couldn't even hear this time Roland picked up on easily. But it was the little snake's last comment that concerned him the most. When he had first thought he hear the sound, he didn't think it was a good one either. The noise to him had sounded like a soft, pain-filled moan.

"Can you follow it?" Harry asked.

"Oh, that's all you want." Harry could practically hear the relief in Roland's hissing. "Yes. I can follow it."

"Then lead me to it." Harry instructed him.

Roland lifted his upper body again and tested the air once more. "That way." He told Harry, indicating the direction with the tip of his tail.

Harry followed ever direction Roland gave him with complete trust. Every so often Roland would ask him to stop so he could test the air again for any sound or because the sound, he would tell Harry, had stopped. But the stops were never very long, and soon they were heading down another corridor or making another turn.

Harry had never been so grateful for the little snake since they had gotten lost in the castle corridors originally. After traveling about, making one turn after another, Harry was sure he could never have followed the sound accurately without Roland's help.

But Harry's confidence in the little snake's abilities abruptly took a nose dive as he turned a corner and found himself facing a stone wall. Harry turned a stern look to the snake.

"Small error?" Harry asked.

"Nope." Roland replied., again gesturing with his tail. "That's where the sound is coming from."

"It's a wall, Roland!" Harry pointed out sharply.

The small snake gave him a curious stare. "You sure you're a wizard?" He asked.

Harry thought the question was a bit odd for the present situation, and he was about to answer Roland when a sound caught his attention.

A soft, almost inaudible moan.

Coming from the wall.

Harry stood staring at the wall for a moment. The wall couldn't be moaning. But perhaps something behind it was.

What had Katlin taught him about concealment spells? You can look right at something and not see it. And he had never seen on from the side most people do. He had always been on the inside looking out. Never the outside trying to look in. He had no idea what the concealment spell might actually look like.

Harry pulled out his wand. Katlin had taught him how to set up the spell as well as how to dispel it. But again, he had always done so from the other side. He had no idea if the spell would work directed at the front of the barrier. As well, he hadn't been the one to set the spell in place either. Perhaps it wouldn't respond to his counter-spell.

Harry pointed his wand at the barrier and spoke the dispelling charm.

Nothing.

Harry tried again.

Again - nothing.

"Once more I ask you," came the voice from his shoulder, "are you sure you're a wizard?"

Harry turned to the little snake. "What do you mean?"

"It's just a 'concealment' spell." Roland pointed out as though this explained everything.

"I know what it is." Harry replied with a touch of irritation. "What I don't know is how to get rid of it."

"Get rid of it?" Roland asked. "It's a concealment spell." He repeated. "Con - ceal - ment."

"So?"

The little snake shook his head. "Put me down." He ordered.

Harry obligingly put Roland on the ground. The little snake immediately headed for the barrier and, without the slightest hesitation, slithered through it. Then just as quickly slithered back out again.

"Con - ceal - ment." Roland enunciated again.

Harry stared in amazement at the barrier before him. "You mean there's nothing there to keep anyone from walking through it?"

"Very few people want to walk through a stone wall." The little snake replied. "And it's not like a muggle could do it. Just wizards."

Harry suddenly thought of the barrier at the platform of King's Cross station. "So this must be how they keep muggles from getting to Platform 9 3/4." He muttered.

"Platform what?" Roland asked.

But Harry just shook his head. "Never mind." But a thought suddenly struck him as he quickly turned to Roland. "But if the barrier keeps out anyone but wizards, how can you get through it?" He asked.

Roland coiled himself up indignantly. "I happen to be a wizard's familiar." He announced. "Therefore I can go through barriers. Got charmed once so I could do it."

"Well, lets get going then." Harry replied, leaning down to pick Roland up again.

But the little snake coiled back. "Just a minute." He stated. "Before you go in there, how's your stomach?"

"My what?"

"Had lunch?"

Harry shook his head again as he stepped over the snake. "I don't have time for this, Roland." He replied. "Just come on."

Once he was on the other side of the barrier, Harry found himself understanding Roland's questions a lot better.

The room was little more than a cell with a dirt floor. A wall of steel bars stretched across the front. Behind them, in the center of the room, a body hung, suspended from the ceiling by two chains attached to its wrists. The chains had been left just long enough that the person could kneel on the ground, but nothing more.

Harry stood in horrified amazement at the sight of the man, wondering if he was even still alive. But the shock of the man's state was suddenly broken through as Harry recognized the long, raven black hair and who the man suspended by the chains was.

"Voldemort!?" Harry launched himself at the steel bars in a blind panic. He wrapped his hands about them and shook them as hard as he could to no avail. "Voldemort!" Harry called again. He couldn't be dead, Harry told himself. Roland had followed a sound here. It had to come from him.

The body in the cell shifted slightly against the chains.

"Voldemort!" Harry called, the panic in his voice rising. "Wake up! You have to wake up!"

"You have to shut up!" Came a whispered hiss from the floor. "You want to bring every guard down here!"

"We have to get him out of there." Harry whispered back. "We have to get into that cell." Harry shook the bars again in frustration. How was he suppose to get through steel bars? This was no simple illusion. He could feel the cold metal against his skin.

"His wand is there." Roland observed suddenly.

Harry looked up. Sure enough, hanging from a piece of rope in the center of the cell was a wand, much like his own in size and color. It had to be Voldemort's. The wand was centered in such a position that even if the man in the cell could stand, he still wouldn't be able to reach forward far enough to get to the wand.

Harry stood up and pressed himself as far between the bars as he could. But stretching with all his might, he still fell a few precious inches short of being able to reach the wand. After several tries, he gave up with a disgruntled sigh. How could he reach it? There were no sticks or poles or...Harry's gaze slowly fell on Roland.

"What?" The little snake asked, noticing the young wizard's stare.

In answer Harry grabbed Roland up off the floor. "Roland, we have to get that wand to get the door open." Harry explained, reaching once again though the bars of the cell. But this time He held his hand out flat, where Roland sat contently curded up.

The snake looked over at the wand, which hung a good three inch from Harry 's finger tips. Then looked at the floor. Then looked back at Harry.

"That's an awful long fall if I miss." He argued.

"You won't fall." Harry replied, straining to move Roland closer to the wand.

"Fine for you to say. You're not the one seated out here overlooking the abyss."

"Will you just grab it!" Harry whispered through clenched teeth as he pressed as hard as he could against the bars.

Roland sighed to himself and inched closer to the end of Harry's fingers. Slowly he extended himself until he was just a bite away from the wand. With his tail wrapped tightly about Harry's small finger, Roland lunged out at the wand, managing to grab it in his mouth on the first try. But instead of pulling the wand back, Roland found the small stick of wood heavier than he expected, and instead found himself pulled off of Harry's hand by its weight as the wand swung back from the force of his lung.

"Roland!" Harry called in a whisper. "Are you all right?"

The little snake curled his tail underneath him and quickly let go of the stick in his mouth. He slithered up the pole until he had himself curled securely about the wooden stick and part of the string holding it.

"Did I neglect to mention how much I don't like heights?" He hissed back.

"It's only a few feet to the ground." Harry reminded him.

"To YOU!" The little snake replied. "To me it might as well be 10 feet."

"We still need that wand, Roland."

Roland looked up the rope. It was tided in a secure knot to a peg handing from the stone ceiling. The little snake sighed again as he turned his attention to the knot he sat curled around. Dismally he began his task of untying the knot. Within a few minutes the wand came free and fell to the ground.

"Just a minute, Roland." Harry called. He quickly shucked off his robe and, balling it up, tossed it into the cage under the rope. "That will at least make for a softer landing for you."

Roland sighed once more as he stared at the pile of black cloth beneath him. He doubted it would do much good. But he still aimed as carefully as he could before letting go of the rope and falling to the ground.

Harry watched in tense anticipation for something to move on the black cloth.

"Roland?" He called softly. "Roland? Are you all right?"

A muffled voice hissed back at him, and abruptly Roland appeared from under the material, the thin stick in his mouth. He promptly slithered over to the bars and handed the wand to Harry.

"I think I broken every bone in my body with that fall." The little snake spat as soon as Harry took the wand out of his mouth.

"Melodramatist." Harry chastised him lightly. "If you's broken every bone you wouldn't be able to move."

Roland rapidly collapsed to the ground, laying as limply as he could.

Harry shook his head. "Honestly." He scooped the little snake up and settled him into his hood. "There. Stay there until you 'heal'."

"No gratitude." Harry heard a soft voice echo up from the depths of the material. "No gratitude at all."

Harry quickly turned his attention back to the lock on the cell door. A quick unlocking charm and he pulled the door open.

Once in the cell, Harry rush to the figure hanging in the chains. Up close he could see the injures were even worse than he thought. Most of the exposed skin had cuts on it of some kind. One eye was swollen shut while the other was surrounded by a dark black circle. The lips were cracked and covered in dried blood. One cheek displayed a vivid purple bruise while the other a half healed cut that look particularly deep. A frighteningly clear dark line encircled the neck.

For every breath the body took, Harry could hear the clear rattling deep in the chest.

As he stood to examine the locks on the chains themselves, Harry gasp as he caught sight of Voldemort's back. Not a scrap of material was left covering the back, which was crisscrossed with slashes and cuts. Dirt was deeply ground into most of the cuts, showing at some point the body had been dragged for a good distance. Likely back to the cell from wherever the actual whipping had taken place. If nothing else, from the tracks in the dirt of the cell floor, Harry could tell the body had been unceremoniously dragged back into the cell from wherever they had at one time taken it.

Harry reached forward and gently touched one of the deeper cuts. The body under his fingers lurched slightly, then relaxed again.

Harry quickly moved about to the man's front again.

"Voldemort." He called softly. "Voldemort. Wake up." He called a little louder. "You have to wake up. I have to get you out of here before they come back."

One eye slowly opened as the head moved with painful slowness towards him.

Elated to get that much of a response out of the man, Harry quickly set to work on the chains, trying the first of a number of spells he was already compiling in his head. But a soft rattle of voice broke his concentration .

Harry leaned back down closer to Voldemort's face. "What is it ?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

This time the words came out with much clearer a pronunciation.

"Get. Out." They were all but hissed at him.

"I'm trying to get you out." Harry answered back quickly. "Just give me a minute.

"No." The voice hissed back at him this time. "You." It stated clearly. "Get. Out."

"Me?" Harry asked. "I can't just leave you here. I have to get you out."

"They'll come back." Voldemort fought to get each word out past dried lips. "Find you here." He took a deep, rattled breath. "Get! Out!" He repeated.

"Not until you're free." Harry replied firmly, going quickly back to his work on the chains.

The body seemed to relax against the chains again, as thought it had spent what little strength it had. Harry worked three more charms on the chains before Voldemort spoke again.

"My wand." He rasp out. "Where is my wand?"

"I have it." Harry replied. "I'm trying to open the locks on the chains with it. I guess because it's part of my wand, it works pretty well for me. A few more tries and I'll likely have it."

"Give it to me." The voice stated softly.

Harry figured Voldemort likely knew the right spell to open the locks on the chains and quickly handed the wand over to him without hesitation. But the instant he did he found the wand pointed directly at him and barely had time to register the words of the Imperio curse before the spell overtook his senses.

Just as in Moody's classes, Harry quickly began to try shaking off the curse. But Voldemort immediately followed the spell with a second, stronger one and Harry felt the curse take a firmer hold on his senses.

"Now listen to me." A rasping, but clear voice spoke to him from somewhere in the haze covering his sight. "Something is coming to capture you. If you run, it won't get you. The moment you stop, you'll hear it following . It'll come until you leave this place. Now go!"

Harry felt the fear welling up inside of him. Something undefined seemed to be assaulting most of his nerves, sending a shock of adrenaline through his system. He had to run. He had to get somewhere safe. Something was coming for him and he had to escape it.

Even as he got slowly to his feet, Harry fought the feeling with everything in him. It wasn't real, he told himself over and over. There was no danger. There was nothing there.

But still his body reacted to the imagined danger and began backing out of the cell. Even as he kept his eyes focused on the man before him and continued to fight the spell, his body kept retreating to its imagined safety.

"Go!" Voldemort hissed at him again.

The verbal push was all Harry's senses needed to force his will to collapse. He turned and sprinted off down the hallway towards his perceived safety.

How long he ran Harry had no idea. Every time he started to slow down, his will again trying to over-ride his senses, a new surge of fear forced it down and he ran on towards safety.

But somewhere in his flight he ran headlong into a tall object that grabbed hold of him as he tried to sidestep it. The fear surged up with renewed force and Harry began fighting the restrains on him with all he had in him.

"Let me go!!!" He screamed.

"Harry! Stop it." Orion's voice called out. "Stop! It's Orion. Stop fighting."

But Harry fought all the harder. The danger was pressing in on him and he had to get away.

"Harry, stop it!"

"Orion, let me see him." Another voice stated.

Harry knew the voice and turned to it briefly to confirm his belief.

Katlin's violet eyes seized hold of his for a moment. But he quickly closed his own eyes, forcing his attention away from her.

"He's under a spell." Katlin's voice declared as Harry felt himself passed to another person. "We need him calmed down before we can do anything for him."

Harry felt himself held in two powerful arms as his body was forcefully turned about.

"Harry." A gentle voice called to him.

Harry opened his eyes. Presumably just for a second to confirm the owner of the voice for him. But the second he locked stares with the eyes of his godmother, Harry felt his will seized by a force more powerful than his fear. Whatever he had been so afraid of vanished in the depths of those eyes. The most wonderful feeling came over his body as it relaxed. It was like the feeling he had just before falling asleep.

"Everything's all right, Harry." The voice promised him. "Nothing can hurt you. You'll believe only that. Only what I tell you."

Harry felt his whole being reach out and willing embrace the concept handed to him as his body relaxed in Lupin's arms.

"Whatever was after you...whatever was frightening you...it's gone now. It can't hurt you any longer."

His whole attention focused on that calm, reassuring voice. He just knew that whatever it was telling him, it was the truth. And he had no choice but to believe it, which was just fine by him. He didn't even resist this time when he felt himself turned back to face Katlin's concerned stare.

"Whoever did this had a great deal of power." She speculated as she peered intently into his eyes. "The boy has a strong will, but it was no match for this spell."

"Can you undo it?" Orion asked.

Katlin raised her wand. "It'll take a few minutes."

"Well, get on with it. We're sitting ducks here."

Harry stayed locked in Lupin's grip while Katlin went through a complex series of spells. Slowly Harry began to feel as though a massive weight were lifting off of him until in the end he doubted he felt much of anything at all. Much like free falling through the air.

When she finished, on Katlin's instructions, warning he may be a bit disoriented, Lupin slowly turned Harry back to face Arabella.

"Keep a good grip on him, Remus." Arabella warned. "It's not going to be too pleasant for him."

Getting a bit annoyed that everyone kept talking like he wasn't able to hear them, Harry was about to say something when he suddenly felt something like a solid blow to his body. Not to just the chest, or the leg, or arms. But his whole body. He collapsed hard into the hold that Lupin still had on him, feeling as though his body were abruptly reintroduced to the concept of gravity.

"All right." Lupin stated, holding tightly onto him as Harry tried to stabilize his legs under him again. "Take it slowly."

Harry struggled for several more moments to regain his balance and test his body against the strange new force pulling on it and holding him firmly to the ground.

"Kind of like coming off a levitating spell, isn't it?" Arabella asked with a small smile.

"Worse." Harry replied, still unsure of his footing as he moved slowly about.

"Harry, what happened?" Orion asked. "You came barreling around that corner like something from the forbidden forest was after you."

Harry thought for a moment as he traced his thoughts back. Wandering through a haze of memory, Harry's eyes suddenly widened.

"Ohmagosh! Voldemort!"

"Voldemort?" Katlin spoke up first. "What about Voldemort? Have you seen him?"

"He's...he's in a cell." Harry remembered, pointing behind him. "Back...back there..." Harry turned in the direction he had pointed, his voice trailing off into a dismal realization of the situation. "...somewhere."

"Somewhere?"

"I...it's all hazy. I was just running. I took some turns..." Harry fought with his memory, but gave up in an exasperated sigh. "I just can't remember. He's the one who put the spell on me."

"Voldemort?" Katlin asked in disbelief. "Why would he do such a thing?"

Harry wasn't sure of the answer himself, so he simply went with what he did know. "They have him locked in a cell. And they've beaten him real bad. They have him chained by his wrists, kneeling on the floor." Harry turned back to his uncle. "He was hurt really bad, Orion. Worse than what the Deatheaters did to Sirius."

"That's still Sirius' body. If Voldemort dies, so will Sirius." Orion stated, turning to his nephew. "Can you retrace your steps at all? Show us where this cell is?"

"I doubt I could." Harry stated, rummaging about in the hood of his cloak. "But I know someone who can."

"Getoff!" Harry heard a small voice whine. "I'm not healed."

"We need your help, Roland."

The small head poked its way out of the material, skillfully avoiding Harry's hand all the way. "Oh, 'we need your help', is it?" The snake asked. "Not a decent night's sleep for a poor snake?"

"Not tonight." Harry replied, grabbing hold of Roland and settling him on his hand. "I need you to take us back to the cell Voldemort was in."

Roland looked about at the others intently watching him.

"Regrouped, have we?"

"Roland, please!" Harry begged.

The little snake sighed. "Give me a minute then."

Harry watched intently as the little snake twisted about on his hand, testing the air around him. He did this several times before turning back to Harry.

"Nothing." He said. "I can't hear anything."

Harry's face fell with his hopes.

"What is it, Harry?" Lupin asked.

"He says he can't hear anything. I guess I ran too far."

"Can you retrace any of your steps? Even a little of the way?"

Harry shook his head. "Not with any accuracy. I could take a wrong turn and get us even more lost."

"Well, you came this way, so there has to be a trail still." Lupin replied.

"But what good is it?" Orion ask, turning to him.

Lupin gave him a small smile. "A great deal in the right hands."

Abruptly Lupin's shape shifted, and in its place stood a large, tan coated wolf. The animal quickly put its nose to Harry's hand, then to the floor as it started moving off in the direction Harry had come. With a brief exchange of glances, the others quickly started off after him.

Nearly thirty minutes later Roland suddenly sat up in Harry's hand.

"Wait a minute!" He announced. "I hear something."

Lupin quickly shifted back to his original shape as Harry took to conversing with the snake again.

"What is it?" Harry ask. "Is it Voldemort?"

Roland's tongue tasted the air several times. "Tastes the same." He replied. "It has to be him. That way." Roland indicated with his tail.

The group quickly took of in the direction Roland had indicated. A few minutes later they found themselves standing before a solid brick wall.

"This is it?" Orion stated. "He led us to a wall?"

Roland sighed as he turned to Harry. "Wizards, huh?" He asked.

"It's an illusion." Harry explained quickly. "Like...like the wall at King's Cross Station."

Orion didn't waste any further time. With a few quick steps he disappeared through the wall. The others quickly followed.

On the other side of the wall, things were much the same as Harry had remembered leaving them, with the door to the cell open, promising an elusive freedom to its sole captive.

Katlin was the first person in the cell, running to Voldemort's side and kneeling next to him as she took his face in her shaking hands.

"My lord!" She cried in a whisper. "What have they done to you?"

One eye barely opened as Orion and Lupin went to work on the chains. It fought to focus on her as the voice rasp out her name. "Katlin?"

Before she could even answer him the chains came lose and the body collapsed into Katlin's arms. She carefully held him to her as Arabella began checking over the worst of the injuries.

"It'll be all right." Katlin promised softly, holding his body as carefully as she could. "We will show them the price for what they have done. All of them."

"Well, long before we start showing them anything," Arabella put in, "we need to get him out of here. Somewhere safe that I can look at these injuries better."

But a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Just a minute." Orion stated. "I have a much better idea. One that may save us a lot of trouble in the future. Bo!" Orion called, looking over his shoulder.

Almost immediately the boggart materialized. With a quick look over the situation, the boggart instantly started towards the injured man. But Orion grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"No." He instructed in a firm, short order.

The boggart turned back to him in an almost confused manner, then quickly launched into a short, curt series of gestures. Orion watched them carefully. He knew Bo's first instinct would be to heal. But he also knew the boggart was reacting to his brother, and not the body's current occupant. And he had no idea what allowing Bo to heal Voldemort might have as an affect on his friend. Besides, he already had a much better idea.

"Bo, I need you to call Becca here."

The boggart stopped what he had been saying in mid-gesture. He seemed to consider the request for some time before signing a question to his channeler.

Orion shook his head. "You do know how. Just call to her. She'll answer you, I guarantee it."

Harry heard the boggart give a quiet sigh that slightly ruffled the cloth of the hood hanging in front of its face. But that was the only discernable gesture he could find in the boggart's actions. But after a few moments, Harry noted a slight tremor in the boggart's body, as though it were struggling with or against something. The battle, however, wasn't a long one. Within a few more seconds, the boggart pulled itself up to its full height, raising its arms towards the top of the cell before dropping one arm as it pointed to a area just before it.

Almost instantly a very confused Becca appeared amid a bright flash of light. But the confusion was short lived as she turned a furious, narrowed stare on the boggart.

"You!" She stated, pointing a finger at him. "You are responsible for this?!"

**Q&A**

Skahducky:

**So any of those wizards can summon Becca just like Orion does with Bo? How did Becca get into this situation in the first place?  
Also, aren't there fourteen wizards in total because there were thirteen in the circle but based on their conversation, Heudros wasn't there, so that means he was missing from the binding ritual, right?  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

As to your first question, yes. Any one of them can summon her. How she got into 'this situation' is a large part of the story. So, as per my favorite answer, 'I can't answer that'.

Ummmmmm..., kinda-sorta. No, Heudros wasn't there, but there was a reason for that. As the story progresses you'll see why Heudros wasn't at that gathering. And why there may only be 14 in the group will depend on, after you learn a bit more about him, why you may not consider him a part of the group so much 'as the group'.

MasterLupin:

**So she is not what she apears to be? Hmm... I will have to re-evalutae my theroy on what will happen.**

Now you see, I'll have to wait for your theory to figure out if I was being to convoluted about Becca or not. Currently I am swinging towards the 'I was' possibility, seeing as no one seems to have picked up on exactly who or what Becca really is.

As for her not being what she appears to be? Believe it.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome chapter! Very interesting events with Becca. As for Roland, slightly was the key word in that sentence. No one is ever fully explained in the middle of a story. That would just be boring. Everyone's still got secrets hidden up there sleeves. **

And trust me, Becca is a very interesting character.

Well, as that we're on (technically) chapter 62, I would hope we're a little more than half way (we are). But as for Roland's part in the story, as that he was just introduced, true, he isn't yet at his 'halfway mark' yet.

All reviews are as of 04/08/2007.

And remember;

Happy Easter and a joyous Passover.


	64. Chapter 64

A/N: **This actually should have been posted last week. But due to site problems, I could not get it up. **

A small weather lesson for everyone.

Did you ever notice that the longer the weather reporters talk about a storm, the less dangerous it seems to be?  
We were warned about the storms headed to Florida from Texas for days. In fact, all last week it was all the weather reporters could talk about. Prepare, prepare, prepare was all we were told. It was going to be really bad.

Well, as I write this, the storms have just gone through.

It rained.

The wind blew.

One city is reporting massive power outages that will, by morning, likely amount to one house on a back street having lost power for a few minutes.

Basically, folks, it rained.

So here's my theory. The more they talk about a storm and warn us to be prepared for it, the more likely it is that storm will not amount to more than a cloud spitting on you.

So that's my report, and all without an eight year education and several million dollars worth of state of the art equipment.

Next week...hurricane predicting.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: TRAITOR?**

The boggart physically cringed back from the woman's verbal accusation. But Orion was quick to come to poor Bo's defense.

"Bo is my servant, Becca." He stated, getting her attention seemingly for the first time. "He only does as I ask him to. And I ask Bo to bring you here."

Becca immediately turned on the Unspeakable. "You?! For what possible reason, except to hasten your death?"

"Well, someone is near death, lady, but it isn't me." Orion pointed out, directing her attention to the man still laying wrapped in Katlin's arms. "I just though you'd like to see the handiwork of your masters close up."

Orion saw the slightest flicker of a question cross her face as she turned her attention to the injured man. But it just as quickly disappeared as she turned back to him.

"What nonsense is this?" She demanded. "Why would my masters have need of doing such a thing?"

"Because they don't just want us gone, Becca. They want us dead. From the very beginning of this you have touted that we are the aggressors here. That we are the ones threatening your masters. You refuse to believe that they could do anything so horrible as nearly torture a man to death. Well, lady, I am thoroughly done with being blamed for things I haven't done by people I haven't done them to." Orion stated, pointing to Voldemort. "Perhaps you'd care to explain to me exactly who is responsible for what was done to this man and what crime he committed to deserve it? Or do you honestly believe we attacked one of our own just to make a point?"

Becca stood in silence for several moments, staring at the injured man. But after a long pause, she finally ask in a whisper. "But why would they do such a thing?"

"Because they fear us." Orion answered, stepping up next to her. A move Becca seemed to take no notice of, but that Bo reacted to immediately, instantly closing space with his channeler until he was practically on top of Orion. "Because they know that we can show you what they are really like. What they are truly doing. That they are hurting and killing people, and they are using you to do it."

"That's a lie." Becca replied in the same soft whisper. "My master would never do such a thing. He is kind and generous and..."

A sudden choking sound cut off Becca's assessment of her master. Katlin quickly turned back to Voldemort, resting her hand over his chest as she tried to ease the spasm.

Becca watched the procedure with a keen interest. "You are a healer." She observed.

Katlin turned briefly to her. "What I am," she stated pointedly, "is trying to keep him alive. But your masters were very thorough." Katlin turned to her husband. "Many of these injuries are the same I felt in Hershal. These people are responsible for that attack, Orion. Not the Deatheaters."

Orion turned slowly back to the woman. "Another feather in your masters caps. Although I guess not, since they didn't stick around long enough to finish the job and Hershal Bennett survived."

But Becca seemed totally uninterested in what he had to say on the matter, instead keeping her attention focused on the man still laying in Katlin's arms.

"If you are a healer, why have you not healed him?" She ask simply, as though she hadn't even heard the other side of the conversation.

Katlin turned back to her, her frustration and exhaustion showing in her expression. "I am trying." She replied pointedly. "But its very hard to plug a hole when the dam keeps springing new ones."

Without a word, Becca reached down and laid her hand over Katlin's. Suddenly the soft blue light that glowed from her open palm seemed to flare to new life. It exploded into a brighter, more vibrant color, then quickly spread outwards until it encompassed the whole body beneath it.

Katlin pulled about abruptly as soon as Becca had touched her, but instantly found herself gripped by a numbing surge of power that radiated through her body. Closing her eyes she tried to center it and direct it into one area. But every effort failed until she no longer felt she had the strength to even hold herself up. But even as she slumped forward, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and held her up.

"What did you do!?" She heard Orion's voice demand. She tried to answer him when she suddenly realized the question hadn't been directed at her at all. Instead Becca's voice answered the question in its usual calm and assertive tone.

"This one is a talented healer, but her skills are limited. I gave her the power she needed to heal this man. Something she was not currently able to do on her own."

Katlin put all of her remaining strength into her voice. "She's telling the truth." She whispered. "Orion, I couldn't have saved him on my own. Like Hershal, he was slipping away from me."

Orion quickly turned his attention to the Voldemort. Still laying in Katlin's lap, most of the cuts and bruises were indeed gone, and his breathing was now regular and steady rather than a forced effort to simply take each successive breath.

Orion turned back to the woman. "Thank you."

Becca's expression didn't register the gratitude one way or the other. "As you said, had he not been helped, he would have died. And his death would serve no purpose."

"It would serve one for your masters." Orion put in. "It would then have only been thirteen to seven."

Becca gave him a look that was anything but friendly, then turned her back to him as she crouched once again next to Katlin.

"You are a very talented healer." Becca said, laying her hand on Katlin's arm. "But you are limited because you limit yourself."

Katlin gave her a confused stare. "Limit myself?"

"You do not practice your craft." Becca replied. "It has laid dormant inside of you for so long it barely even exists any longer. But even as weak as it was, look at what you were able to do. Think of what you could accomplish if you did not deny it."

Becca pulled back suddenly with a slight cry of pain. But just as quickly she pulled herself to her feet, distancing herself physically from them even as she turned her attention back to the whole group. "Once again I am warning you." She stated in her usual authoritative voice. "Leave this place. You need only say you wish to, and you will be home."

And with that she abruptly vanished.

"Where is he?"

The sound drew everyone's attention immediately back to the man still lying in Katlin's arms.

The voice hadn't been very strong, but there was clearly a strong force of hatred behind it.

Struggling to get up, Voldemort waved off Katlin's protests for him to lie still while she checked for any further injury.

"Where is he?!" He demanded again, this time triggering a coughing spell that had him collapsing back into her arms just the same.

"Where is who?" She ask softly. "There is no one here but us now. You're perfectly safe."

"Safe!" Voldemort all but vaulted himself out of her arms this time as he sat forward supporting himself as he struggled still for breath. Looking up, he moved his gaze over each member of the group. "Where is he?" His eyes finally stopped moving when they settled on Harry.

Or more accurately, on his shoulder.

Where Roland sat.

Sensing the danger, Roland practically jumped from Harry's shoulder back into the safe cocoon of his sweater's hood, burrowing down as deep as he could.

"Run and hide little rat." Voldemort hissed out between his teeth. "It won't do you any good."

Harry took several steps back from the man. "What did Roland do?" He ask.

"Aside from getting nearly all of us killed, just his usual. Which is practically nothing." Voldemort replied, waging a nearly losing battle to get to his feet, finally managing it with Katlin's help, but still leaning heavily against the nearest wall for support.

Orion started to reach his hand into Harry's hood when a voice quickly called out. "The first hand in here gets bit!" Roland stated. "You should know better than to try and pick up a frightened snake. We bite in self-defense."

"Roland, come out of there." Orion stated, removing his hand from the sweater's hood just the same. "Or Voldemort will be the least of your worries."

The material of the hood moved about a bit, and finally the little snake poked his head out, looking up at Orion. "I'm not afraid of him." He stated, trying to give his voice a conviction is seriously lacked at the moment.

"Filthy, rotten little scalely..." Voldemort reached out towards the snake, but fell desperately short of his target and nearly lost his precarious balance if not for Katlin grabbing hold of him and helping him regain his footing.

But none the less Roland quickly dove back down into the hood.

"Voldemort seems to have some issues with you, Roland." Orion pointed out as he stared down into the hood of the sweater.

The little snake cautiously resurfaced, keeping a close watch on Voldemort.

"He knew." The dark wizard ground out, pointing a finger at the little snake. "He knew about the ward. He knew what it would do, but he didn't say a word. He's been helping them."

"I did no such thing!" Roland protested vehemently.

Harry turned to the little snake on his shoulder, remembering something suddenly that had happened just before he stepped through the doorway where the ward was. "When we were coming up the stairs, you told me to look at the ground. You said it would make the climb seem easier."

"You should have been more careful about revealing your talents before you started to lie, traitor." Voldemort stated, glaring at the little snake as he fought to remain on his feet. "You know about the wards in this castle. That isn't something that's selective. You either know them all or you don't know any. But you...it was practically second nature to you where they are."

"I told you! They move them around!" Roland stated.

"And despite that you still knew where they were. You guided us through dozens without a single mishap. Then, all of the sudden, you 'missed' one?"

"It was a special ward." Roland pointed out. "I wasn't able to sense it."

Orion looked down at the little snake. "I can sympathize with your wavering talent, Roland." The Unspeakable said in a not altogether compassionate tone. "Unspeakables have a similar talent for lies."

Roland turned to him.

"If a person is a very good liar, sometimes I can't sense the lie, and they are able to fool me." The Unspeakable leaned closer to the little snake. "You are not a very good liar, Roland."

The little snake all but leapt from Harry's shoulder. Hitting the ground, he took off so fast hardly anyone had time to react as he headed for the wall. But just before he made it, Orion reached for him, almost grabbing his tail.

But at the last second, Roland spun about, whipping his tail out of the Unspeakable's reach as he hissed at him, striking at the outreached hand for good measure.

"Becca was right about you." He spat at them. "A bigger pack of fools I've never seen." He stated, pointing his tail at Voldemort. "You think he's in bad shape? You think that's the worse they can do? They haven't even gotten warmed up yet. So do yourselves a favor and take her offer. Leave here while you still can." And with that the little snake turned and disappeared through a small hole in the wall.

Turning back to the others, Orion had no more to say on the matter than to suggest they keep moving.

Over the next half hour, Arabella kept a close eye on her godson, noting that Harry didn't say so much as a single word to anyone. If anything, he was doing a very good imitation of being invisible among the group. But she finally decided enough was enough and moved up to walk next to him.

"It wasn't your fault, Harry." She stated knowingly.

Harry shook his head slightly. "I'm the one would insisted we rescue him." He replied. "I'm the one who told everyone else we should trust him. That he wouldn't do anything to hurt us. And all along he turned out to be exactly what Voldemort said he was. A traitor."

"And now maybe you'll listen to someone's advice when they give you the benefit of their years." A voice stated from behind them.

The comment earned the speaker a slap on the shoulder and a stern glare from Arabella.

With the benefit of Becca's healing and the remainder of the potion they had gotten from Snape, though not exactly skipping through the corridors, Voldemort was managing to keep pace with the rest of the group. Albeit a decidedly slower one that Orion had set for them.

"Did I lie to the boy?" Voldemort ask. "Did I offer him bad advice? No. I was suspicious of the scaly little rat right from the start. But I had to fight against the whole lot of you, that were more interested in getting a group mascot than questioning if he could working for our enemies."

"Well, I'd rather be wrong once in a while about judging someone's character than live in constant suspicion of everyone I meet." Arabella fired back.

"An attitude that can easily get you killed."

Arabella huffed back at the man. "If I looked up 'paranoid' in the dictionary, would your picture be there?"

"Right after yours," Voldemort replied with a less than sincere smile, "under 'gullible'."

"Could you two discuss the English language some other time?" Orion snapped at them. "Because right now isn't really convenient."

Arabella gave the dark wizard one more glare for good measure as they moved on.

Lost once again in his own thoughts, Harry suddenly felt a hand touch his shoulder. Looking around, he found Katlin standing behind him.

"I'm bringing up the rear right now, Harry," she explained, "and your seriously hindering even my progress."

Looking in front of him, Harry noted that the rest of the group was indeed a good thirty yards ahead of them.

"Sorry." He offered in a low tone, quickening his steps to catch up. But the same hand caught his shoulder again.

"Care to talk about it?" Katlin ask. "Sometimes it's easier to discuss with someone who isn't your godmother or looks like your godfather. Maybe someone who's just a friend?"

"Or an aunt." Harry reminded her in a whispered tone.

The comment earned him a half-hearted stern stare. "Corridors have a bad habit of echoing, Harry."

"Sorry...again." He mumbled, starting off again. But once more the hand stopped him.

"Care to try again?" She offered. "I'm really a very good listener."

"Not much too tell is there?" He practically snapped back at her. "I screwed up and everyone nearly paid for it. Especially Sirius. What if Heudros had killed Voldemort."

"Don't 'if', Harry. Wasted energy, remember?"

Harry shook his head as he started walking again. "I'm beginning to think Voldemort is right. You're safer in life if you're just suspicious of everyone."

"And a lot lonelier." Katlin replied.

She watched the teenager trudge on, all the while feeling Orion reaching back to them. Due to the low lighting in the conduits, at times they lost sight of the others. So Orion was keeping a constant open contact with her, feeling for any danger they may be in. But past that, he didn't interfere or prod them to catch up, for which she was grateful.

"You really liked Roland, didn't you?" She ask after a few moments.

Harry shrugged. "Doesn't much matter. Like Voldemort said, he was a traitor. I shouldn't have trusted him. I should have just lef..."

On the teenager's abrupt abandonment of the thought, Katlin filled in the blanks for him. "Left him in that cage to die ?" She ask. "Then how would you feel now? Any better?"

Harry thought for only a few seconds before shaking his head.

"Harry," Katlin offered softly, "do you remember what I told you before you left the castle? You ask me how you were suppose to put up with being in Voldemort's company day after day, when you thought it was going to be just the two of you?"

Harry turned back to her.

"Do you remember what I told you then?" She ask. "There are two sides to every story, Harry." She reminded him gently. "Maybe you need to hears Roland's."

**Q&A**

FAMILY RELATIONS

MasterLupin:

**Hmm... Well I'm still not sure about an over all theory about the story outcome at the moment, I need more evidence/ information to form one. However I am confident in saying that Becca may be not completely human and possibly related to Bo in nature.**

(PAR grabs MasterLupin in a BIG hug.) I love you, man!

(And that's all I'm saying.)

Silverfox:

**Harry, Harry, Harry, that snake just admitted to being a wizard's familiar and you don't even pick up on it? That boy is hopeless! ... So how Bo/power specific is that spell? Would it work on other creatures or only something posessed by a power very much like Bo's?**

Strange that more people didn't pick up on that. No one even speculated on whose familiar Roland was.

Now, I wouldn't say the boy is hopeless. Gullible, naive, over-trusting, inexperienced, green, unseasoned, inexpert, hapless, even at times downright dimwitted.

But not hopeless.

I just loved this question. Mostly because no one else thought to ask it. That spell, Dear, is VERY specific.

Would it work on other creatures or only something possessed by a power much like Bo's? Man, that is one tough question to answer. Mostly because in there you have several separate questions. So let me try and sort it all out for you.

1. Would it work on other creatures?

Like what? Something magical?

No. The spell was designed to do one thing and one thing only. (And I'm not saying what just yet.)

2. Would it work on something possessed by a 'Power'. (And please note, I changed your question a little there.)

That depends. Remember, Orion said he had heard the spell before. And that was when Bo taught it to him. Now, think back. What was the spell Bo taught Orion? It wasn't JUST to make him his channeler, although that was part of it. It also was to make it so that Bo was linked to Orion in the way a host isn't. Orion's connection to Bo is very special and very unique.

So what does it depend on? Well, on what it is you're trying to accomplish with the spell.

3. Would it work on something possessed by a 'Power' much like Bo's?

Yes.

You're in the ballpark, Dear. You just aren't sure if there's a game today.

ilovesiriusblack:

Well who the heck doesn't?!

**Another excellent chapter! I can't wait for the next one! Is there any chance of some more Sirius in it? I understand it takes a lot of energy to allow this to happen but he is still my favourite character. I wish I had a clever theory to give you as to what might happen next I'm afraid I don't you always keep me guessing and I couldn't attampt to guess what you'll do next. Keep up the good work!**

I think that's the first time I've answered a reader without first posting the review. But I just couldn't help myself.

Well, Dear, I did warn people long, long ago that Sirius wasn't in this much. But he does make the odd appearance, and yes, it does take a lot out of poor Voldemort to allow the exchange. And considering his current state, you can safely assume you will not be seeing Sirius in the next few chapters. Voldemort just isn't up for it.

Well, even if I don't get a theory/guess, that was still a very nice compliment just the same, Dear. Thank you. I always try to keep my stories interesting.

Harrypotterwriter456:

**WOW! THATS A LOT OF CHAPTERS!**

Ain't they just?!

CelticHeiressFiona:  
**Awesome chapter! **

Thank you, Dear.

Skahducky:

**Wow, Voldemort must be incredibly strong-willed to be able to curse Harry even when he's in so much pain. How can Becca help the situation? I doubt she'd be willing to help heal Voldemort. Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

I don't think people give enough credit to just how powerful Voldemort really is. Just a few fries short of a Happy Meal, yes. But still a very powerful wizard. And that is something I have tried to bring out time and again in this story. Not only how powerful the man is, but also just how intelligent he is. Voldemort is, in my opinion, on the whole a very interesting character, once you get him on some medication to control that whole megalomaniac thing he has going on. But once you have him accepting that one good, well-aimed bullet will have the exact same effect on him as it would on the rest of us, he's actually almost likeable.

So, as I said, strip away the whole crazy aspect of his personality, and working with what you have left is kind of fun. Over all he is a very dynamic, charismatic, powerful, forceful, intelligent, charming fellow.

End result? Great character fodder. To me he's a younger, less scrupulous version of Dumbledore.

Just how Becca can help is a bit tricky to answer without saying more about her than I should at this point. But based on this chapter, as you could see, she can do quite a bit to help.

OK. I can see why you would think Becca would not be very keen on helping to heal Voldemort, but Katlin has said it often enough, and it holds true even with Becca; 'There's two sides to every story'. Even Becca's.

SIRIUSLY BORED

Elisabetha-Ex spuffyluver:

**Oh. My. God. I actually liked Peter. Blasphemy. And I so spelled that wrong. Anyhow. I Loved it with a capital L. Damn JKR, killing MY Sirius. And why am I talking, err writing so weirdly. A mystery I suppose. Anyway ducky, it is brilliant as usual. Ta now.**

You guys have GOT to start making the name thing easier on PAR!

That said;

Why thank you, Dear! I am so glad you enjoyed it! And especially that you liked Peter. If you read back though the answers I gave to that story, a lot of people commented that they couldn't believe they actually liked the character in this story and that I had actually gone for making him a nice person.

But I look at it this way. Peter was not always a weaselly little rat (so-to-speak). He was, after all, for seven years or so, James, Sirius, and Remus' friend. A part of a very unique group of friends. You consider, most of us have long ago abandoned the people we considered our friends in high school. People grow up and grow apart. But these four remained friend all through those growing years and maintained that friendship even after they graduated. That's a rare thing. So the other three must have felt a genuine friendship for the rotten little traito...I mean..., poor Peter. So I felt he deserved at least one story where he wasn't shown as spending the majority of his time thinking of new and inventive ways to be a total bastard.

My spekll chick saw nohting wronge with that wurd.

Might I suggest just a sllllliiiiiight cut back on the caffeine?

Ha! You have nothing on me, Dear. I totally lost interest after Book V. Have no idea what went on in Book VI, and she could spend the rest of her life writing Book VII for all I care. The only reason right now I'm standing in line early is because I have a complete set of first editions and I'd hate to lose big bucks in about ten years when they are selling for bookoodel bucks. Especially if I can get them signed and they remain in pristine condition.

I also am fortunate to have one very rare copy of Book IV in which the chapters were messed up in the print house. Book is worth a lot of money, folks. There's only a few of these out there. Most were recalled and destroyed.

GO PAR!!!!!!!

All reviews are as of 04/15/2007.

Happy tax day.


	65. Chapter 65

A/N: All right folks. A brief word on Hurricane Predictions!

Dr. Gray, bless him, the father of Hurricane predicting has been hard at it for some 23 years. He has a whole team of scientists and a building full of the most sophisticated, state of the art machines in the world.

After doing some serious number crunching, here is what a local news station came up with for his prediction accuracy.

Naming the correct number of hurricanes per year: 53 percent.

Naming the correct number of those hurricanes that would become major storms: 57 percent.

Millions of dollars worth of state of the art machines VS me and a coin to flip.

Draw your own conclusions.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FIFTY: ROLAND'S STORY (PART ONE)**

Harry spent the next several hours thinking over what Katlin had told him. Thoughts that were still chasing around in his head by the time Orion called a halt to their walking for the day and suggested they settle down to get some sleep.

Harry willingly offered to take his fair turn at standing guard, but Orion suggested it had been a longer day for him and Voldemort than any one else and they were excluded from guard duty for the night.

The following day, once they were up and everyone had had breakfast from their rations, Orion had them moving again. But still the pace was much slower than before, as that rather than relying on Roland to tell them where the wards were, the group was following Orion's boggart. But at least they were moving and they weren't just retracing the same pathway over and over again, as Roland had said the wards were set up to do.

After several hours of moving in what seemed to be down one main corridor, Orion suddenly stopped the group as he turned his head. Listening intently, he suddenly ushered the group into a side corridor.

"There's a group behind us." He explained quickly, listening again at the opening to the main corridor they had just left. "It sounds like their conducting a sweep."

"A sweep?" Arabella ask.

Orion nodded. "They're coming this way, but their sending people off down each corridor they past. It sounds like they have a general idea where we are, but not exact. That'll buy us some time to try and find a place we can hide until they go past."

Orion turned quickly to the boggart next to him. "Can you find us a safe place to hold up, Bo?"

The boggart made several quick gestures, which Orion frowned at.

"All right then, 'reasonably safe'?"

The boggart gestured again.

Orion sighed, listening again at the entrance of the corridor. "Look," he finally replied to the mass of dark towering robes, "I don't care if it's a broom closet, as long as it's safe."

The boggart gestured again and Orion's frown deepened. "Look, this is a lovely corridor," he replied, gesturing down it, "why don't we try this one?"

The boggart immediately turned and headed down the corridor, moving at his same less than hurried pace as Orion led the others after him, muttering to himself as they went.

A tap on the shoulder caused him to turn about.

"What was that all about?" Arabella ask.

"He's nervous." Orion explained briefly. "When he's nervous, his decision making skills deteriorate drastically."

A short while later, the boggart pulled up to a sudden stop.

"Now what?" Orion inquired, looking past him at the supposedly open corridor.

The boggart gestured quickly as he pointed ahead of them.

"Wonderful." Orion sighed.

"What is it?" Arabella ask, looking around Orion's arm. "What's wrong?"

"Bo says there's a ward directly ahead. It's not a strong one, so it's likely not meant to take us very far. Bo speculates it's likely only going to take us back to the start of this corridor."

"Which is where the other people possibly are right now." Arabella replied. "So what do we do?"

"We'll have to go back." Orion answered, but from his tone apparently no more pleased with the solution than Arabella was. "We can make good time knowing there are no wards in the way. Hopefully, we can make it to the opening before they get there and make it to the next corridor."

"And then what? Hope there's no ward there either?" She ask.

"We'll worry about that when we get to it." He replied. "Right now, I'd suggest everyone gets their wands out and be ready for a fight. Because that's just what we may have."

Reaching for his wand, Harry was suddenly distracted by a different voice calling his name.

"Harry! Harry, can you hear me?!"

Harry looked up suddenly as did Voldemort and Orion.

Unfortunately, it was a voice Harry knew all too well.

"What do you want?" He ask with less than any enthusiasm.

"Too help." Came the quick answer.

"Like before?"

"And I can explain that." Roland's voice answered. "But right now you have other pressing matters. Now, do you want help, or you want to argue?"

"What sort of help?" Harry ask.

"There's a ward trap in the corridor you're in. Right behind you."

"A what?"

"A ward trap. Sort of like a magical trap door."

"How do we open it?" Orion ask.

Forgetting momentarily the spell Orion's boggart had placed on him, making the Unspeakable effectively a parseltongue, Harry turned back to the voice. "Orion ask how do we..."

"I'm not deaf." the little snake's voice replied. "Turn around to the wall behind you, count up nine stones from the cracked one on the floor. Tap the ninth stone and the trap will appear."

"How do we know it's not a trap of another sort?" Orion ask.

"What difference will that make in a few minutes?"

"If it's so safe, then why are you hiding?"

The voice gave a short laugh. "Guarantee me the nasty dark one won't try to kill me the minute I poke my head out."

"No deal." Voldemort scowled.

But Orion ignored him, pulling the man's wand down as he turned back to the ceiling where the voice was coming from. "Done. Now show yourself."

A small movement caught Harry's attention first from a precipice above them. Cautiously Roland stuck his head out and looked down at the group.

""Well, all still alive. Good for you."

"If this is a trap, you won't live long enough to regret it." Orion warned the little snake.

"What purpose do I have to lie?" Roland ask. "I could have just stayed gone. Instead I've been following you through the castle, making sure things were going all right for you."

"You've been following us?" Harry ask.

"Since you weren't smart enough to take good advise, someone had to watch over you."

"We've been doing well enough." Voldemort sneered at the little snake.

Roland leaned over the edge of his perch slightly. "Oh, right. Sorry. I missed the wonderful situation you've got yourself in right now."

A hand suddenly shot up from below the outcropping and snatched the little snake off his perch.

"Hands off! Hands off!" Roland screamed, trying to get a bite into the hand holding him.

"There's no point in any of that." Lupin advised the little snake. "Severus taught me how to handle snakes. Your chances of getting a good bite in are very slim, I assure you."

"So settle down." Orion advised as he leaned down and began counting up the stones from the floor. "We just wanted to make sure you didn't disappear again."

"Gratitude!" Roland snapped. "This is gratitude for you! I try to help and this is the thanks I get."

Orion reached the ninth stone and tapped it with his wand.

Nothing happened.

The Unspeakable turned to the little snake.

"Well?" He ask, this time redirecting the tip of his wand to the snake's snout.

Roland pulled back as far as he could. "Just a minute! Just a minute! Let me think!" He stated as he quickly fell to mumbling to himself. "First corridor, third stone, second corridor, sixth stone, third, ninth, fourth, twelfth...twelfth!" He stated suddenly. "It's not the ninth stone, it's the twelfth!"

Orion held the little snake's gaze for a moment longer before he turned back to the wall. Counting up three more stones, he tapped the twelfth stone this time.

Almost immediately a small doorway opened, allowing just enough room for one person to squeeze through.

Orion went through the hole, then reappeared a few seconds later.

"It appears safe enough." He told the others. "But it'll be cramped."

"It wasn't designed for a party." Roland stated, still held firmly in Lupin's grip. "It was made to hold only one person comfortably. Two if they know each other really well. And you only have about fifteen seconds before the hole closes."

Each person quickly went through the hole. When the last person was through, the doorway sealed itself behind them.

"The wall isn't sound proof." Roland warned. "So I advise you keep quiet."

Absolute silence filled the little room. Outside Orion could hear the footsteps come to their area and move on past. But they stopped only a few yards more down the corridor. He could hear the person speak a quick spell, pause, then turn and hurry back up the corridor.

"What was that?" Arabella whispered.

"He was checking the ward." Orion explained. "Seeing if it had been disturbed. But since it wasn't, he must have figured we didn't come down this corridor and went back to report to the others. Hopefully, they'll move on now."

Tapping the stone wall in the same spot as he had on the opposite side, Orion opened the trap again and checked the corridor before stepping outside.

"Well, that will buy us some time anyway." He stated as the others emerged from their hiding place.

"And you're very welcome." Came an irritated voice from behind him.

Turning around Orion noted Roland was still held in his head lock by Lupin, the little snake's tail wrapped several times around the man's wrist. "Could I possibly be released now? I'm getting a headache."

"In a minute." Orion stated, leaning down to the little snake. "We need somewhere safe to go. Do you know any such place? Somewhere Heudros and his followers never go?"

Orion could have sworn he saw the little snake pale. "Yes." He said finally in a very low tone. "I know of one place. But it isn't the least bit pleasant."

"Can you show us?"

Harry saw the momentary indecision in the snake's stare, but he finally nodded slightly and pointed down the corridor with his tail. "Down the corridor, turn to the left."

Harry and the others followed Roland's directions down several corridors. The little snake led them further and further away from the corridor they had been in until finally he stopped them, pointing to a large door.

"In there." Roland said. "No one ever goes in there."

Harry reached for the door handle, but a hand over his stopped him abruptly. Harry looked up to see his uncle staring down at Roland.

"Why doesn't anyone ever go in there?" He asked the little snake.

"You'll see soon enough." Roland answered in a small voice.

Orion carefully pushed Harry behind him, instructing the others to move back as well as he reached for the door handle.

Stepping into the room, Orion quickly lit his wand and looked about the small room. There was plenty of room for all six of them inside, but as soon as the first whiff of air from inside the room reached him, Orion pulled back.

"Merlin's Beard!" He exclaimed. "What is that!?"

Harry poked his head about his uncle's side, his own wand lit as he peered into the room. It didn't take him more than a few seconds to understand where the smell was coming from.

All about the room were the bodies of snakes. Most of these were quite large. Far bigger than the ones that had been in the cages of the room where they had found Roland. Most of them looked as though they had been there for months, even years and were little more than mummified remains, while others looked as though they had only been there a few weeks.

Harry quickly backed out of the room and turned back to where Lupin still stood holding the little snake.

"Roland," he ask, "what is that room?"

Roland glanced at the room for a minute, then turned back to Harry. "Not all of us fit into cages." He stated quietly. "Those that they caught that were...older..., the oldest of our kind...they brought down here...and threw into that room. No one ever comes down here because...there are no more snakes to put in there...and the ones that were there..." The little snake trailed off as his gaze again drifted towards the open door. "I don't suppose...?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry, Roland." He said. "None of them are alive."

The little snake shook his head. "They won't come looking for you here." He said, his tone laced with sadness. "They never come looking for anything here."

"I'm really sorry, Roland." Harry offered. "But we need a place to hide while we figure out what to do next. And this seems the best place. But you can stay in my hood again if you'd rather."

The little snake didn't answer but willingly slid out of Lupin's hand when he released his hold and quickly dropped into the sweater's hood again, curling up in the very bottom of it without a sound.

Orion stepped back into the room and cast a quick spell that sealed the front area off from the rest of the room, effectively locking out the smell. Once the air in the sealed off area cleared, the others followed Orion into the room.

Finally, with all of them safely inside, Orion closed the door behind them and turned quickly back to Harry.

"Get Roland out here." He stated. "I have some questions for him."

Harry paused, then carefully slipped off his sweater and carefully laid it on a small stone table that sat near the door. Lifting the hood, he checked first to see what Roland was up to.

"Roland." He ask hesitantly. "We need to talk to you."

"I really hate this room." Came the answer. "Can we talk later?"

A hand grabbed the hood and lifted it up until the little snake tumbled out of it and landed in a heap on the top of the table.

"No. Now you wanted your time to explain," Orion advised the little snake, "and here it is. I highly suggest you start talking."

The little snake coiled half his body beneath him as he sat up on the stone and faced the group. Taking a breath, he started out. "Fine. What would you like to talk about? A room full of dead snakes?"

"Let's start out smaller. Why you didn't warn us about the ward at the top of the stairs."

Roland sighed quietly. "Look, I'm really sorry about that, and I can explain."

Voldemort gave an unimpressed sigh as he turned to the ceiling. "Just kill him." He suggested.

Roland turned sharply to the man. "You know, letting Heudros and his followers kill you wasn't exactly breaking my heart."

"How very mutual that feeling is." The dark lord drawled.

But Orion put a stop to the bickering quickly enough. "Just a minute!" He pointed out, leaning down to Roland as the little snake pulled back slightly. "You said Heudros and his followers?"

Roland nodded. "Well, the other thirteen in this case. But everyone here follows Heudros."

Orion gave the snake a puzzled look. "I thought they were all in this together? That Heudros was one of the other thirteen?"

Roland gave a short, sharp laugh. "Those idiots? Heudros is no rocket scientist himself, but the others are complete idiots." He shook his head. "No, Heudros is definitely the brains behind the operation. And believe me, that isn't saying much."

"So what's the purpose of the other thirteen?"

"They're sort of Heudros' lieutenants. They order the underlings about and tell them what to do. Sort of do the daily grind stuff Heudros feels he's too busy to bother with anymore. Past that, they're sort of...well, I guess his batteries."

"Batteries?" Lupin ask.

"It's they're pay off for serving Heudros." Roland explained. "Once a week, they all go through a sort of secret ceremony where their own magical abilities get a...boost, I guess you could say. I've only seen it performed once myself. But once the ritual is done, Heudros forbids them to use any of their additional power, saying it's only in case something happens and he needs it."

Orion frowned deeply at the information. "And where do they get this 'boost' from, Roland?"

The little snake turned to him. "From Becca."

Orion considered the information as he tapped his chin with the tip of his wand. "Tell me about Becca, Roland. What do you know about her? Is she one of Heudros' followers as well?"

The little snake cocked his head to the side. "Becca?" He ask. "Heavens no. I doubt she even knows half the things that group gets up to."

"How can that be? She seems a intricate part of this group."

"Intricate?" Roland laughed over the word. "Hardly. All that girl is to them is used, abused, and refuse."

"She doesn't seem to mind very much. She stays with them."

"Because Heudros isn't so stupid as to risk losing her."

"Why not?"

"Because, without Becca, the great Heudros wouldn't likely be good enough to even perform at kiddie parties. The fact of the matter is, Heudros wasn't even Heudros until Becca showed up. He was just a common old wizard. And not even a very good one at that. Then Becca showed up and suddenly there's almost nothing Heudros can't do. Suddenly he's building his followers, gaining power, and establishing himself as this great, all powerful wizard."

"And Becca?"

"I told you. Becca's the one with the real magical ability. But she's sort of...naive, you know? Half the time the girl acts like she was born yesterday. I don't know where Heudros found her, but he must have seen her coming a mile off. He latched onto her and drew her into his crazy plans, telling her all the right things until she believes only what Heudros tells her. If Heudros told that girl the sky was purple, she'd believe him."

"So Heudros and the other thirteen, they all enhance their magic through Becca?"

"That's right."

"And Heudros, if he needed to, could siphon magical energy off of the other thirteen?"

Roland nodded.

"No wonder he's so blasted powerful." Orion stated with a heavy sigh. "Not only is he filtering his own power, he's using theirs as well."

"Rotten pack of leeches is what they are, if you ask me. The whole lot of them. They're all just feeding off Becca for their own gain until that poor girl has almost nothing left of her own magic." Roland looked up at the group again. "If I'm in this for anyone, it's for her. To try and get someone to help her. To get her away from Heudros before he does anything more to her."

Katlin immediately leaned forward. "More? What else has Heudros done to Becca?"

Roland gave her a small, sad little laugh. "What hasn't he done to her? He uses and abuses her, then tells her its all for her own good. I doubt that poor girl has a clue what that man is really doing. And the really sad part of it all is that she just worships him. He's her whole world."

Orion stood listening thoughtfully to what Roland was telling them, linking it all together with the ideas he was already forming. "To her, he would be." He said softly.

"You seem awfully well informed." Voldemort interjected into Roland's explanation suddenly. "How do you fit into all of this?"

"I'm well informed because I've had a front row seat." Roland stated.

"A front row seat?"

"I've been privy to almost every move this group has made from the very beginning." Roland stated.

"Because you were their spy." Voldemort shot back. "Keeping your masters well informed of their enemies moves."

"I'm no spy." Roland protested. "I may have done a lot of things in my life, but I never knowingly betrayed anyone."

"Roland deserves a chance to defend himself." Harry quickly spoke up.

"And might I remind you that we've been here before." Voldemort pointed out.

"Here?"

"Voldemort warning everyone to beware of the scaly little traitor and everyone ignoring Voldemort. And might we remember where that got us last time?"

"Look, Voldemort, I already know your story, dull though it is." Orion stated, "Right now, I'd like to hear Roland's." Turning back to the little snake, Orion motioned for him to continue. "Go on, Roland. Where exactly do you fit into all this?"

The little snake shook his head again with a rueful laugh. "I'm 'in all this' because I was as stupid and trusting as Becca was in the beginning." Roland turned back to the group. "Things were a lot different when Heudros first came here. The snakes weren't completely trusting of the wizards and witches, but we all got along all right. Mostly we just tried to stay out of each others way. But Heudros was never one to pass up an opportunity to use others for his own ends. And he saw the snakes as an untapped asset. You've seen the tunnels around this place. Large conduits that run throughout the castle. Well, those are just the main paths. There are hundreds of smaller ones running all through the castle. Far too small for a human, but just the right size for a snake. It was easy for us to get through them. Heudros worked that out pretty quickly, being the brains of the operation that he is. And before long he had most of the snakes won over to his side and serving him.

Mostly we worked as guards. We kept the castle safe. Anyone we didn't recognize we could figure out easily enough. Whereas a wizard or witch may not be able to see through a disguise, snakes could taste if someone wasn't who they said."

Orion nodded slightly, turning to Voldemort. "That explains why he was able to stay so well hidden. It's bloody near impossible to get a spy past a snake whose tasting the air around him for an unfamiliar smell. And since no one knew that was how he was doing it, we never knew to compensate for it."

"Well," Roland went on, "as I said, most of the snakes served Heudros. But there were a few of us who weren't completely stupid. They realize early on that Heudros wasn't everything he claimed to be.

Well, one day I overheard a few of the others talking. They were saying that Heudros was becoming dangerous and that we should turn against him. Well, understand, Heudros had never dealt with the snakes with anything other than kindness and respect. At least not that I ever saw. Or maybe I just saw what I wanted." The little snake gave a rueful laugh. "But still, all I saw these others as were troublemakers for the rest of us. Malcontents who needed a good talking to. So I went to Heudros and I told him what I had heard.

Well, Heudros told me he was very grateful that I brought the concerns of the others to his attention. He told me if any of the snakes were unhappy he wanted to know so he could correct whatever was wrong. Which is pretty much what I expected to hear him say. But if the snakes were unhappy, he said he needed someone to act as an intermediary between him and those snakes that were displeased with the state of things at the castle. He said he felt I was the perfect choice."

"Why?" Voldemort sneered at the little snake. "Was no one else that stupid?"

Roland turned to him, meeting the man's gaze. "Apparently not."

"And you weren't the least bit suspicious of anything?"

"Heudros knew how to manipulate, Lord Voldemort. Believe me, you could take lessons from the man. He said and did all the right things to make me feel I was doing the best thing for my people. And I wasn't totally innocent, don't worry. My own vanity was my downfall. Heudros promised me a position of power and respect among the snakes, and among his own people as well. And he delivered. In short order all the other snakes listened to what I said. And there wasn't a witch or wizard among Heudros' followers who questioned my word."

"Good trick." Orion put in. "How did Heudros suddenly make you so popular?"

Harry suddenly looked up. "Wait a minute." He put in. "You told me down in the dungeons you were a wizard's familiar."

Roland nodded. "And I was."

Voldemort narrowed his gaze at the little snake. "You never mentioned that to anyone else."

"No one else ever ask." Roland stated in reply.

Voldemort leaned a little closer to him. "Whose familiar?!" He demanded.

Roland paused as he gauged the man's temper, then steeled himself up as he met Voldemort's stare. "Heudros'." He replied.

**Q&A**

Before I start on Q&A, I'd just like to say a little something about poor Roland. First off, did anyone note that last week's title had a question mark in it? (Everyone hits the BACK button.)

Next, can we all say 'Aaron Richards'?

The point is, folks, we've been here before. Don't assume people are what they first seem in my stories. Bad habit to get into.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Q&A.

ilovesiruisblack:

**Hmm, not a theory but a question. Orion said that they were using the same spell that Bo taught him and I have always assumed that it was a spell of Bo's invention as those precise circumstances have necer really presented themselves before, as I understand it the power just naturaly passed on. So how did this group get hold of it? I'm assuming Becca didn't teach them as she seams to have no idea what is going on. Once again though awesome chapter and I can't wait for the next one.**

Oh dear. That's quite a question.

OK. Lets take this in small steps, as it will help keep the author from getting confused.

To start off with, was the spell Bo used with Orion of his own invention?

Yes and no. Keep in mind, (and I'm not going into another philosophical discussion with anyone here on this) that Bo is not a person. He is, without his current body, non-corporeal. Bo is pure magic...with a bit of a personality. But that's all he is.

Now, as a force of magic, Bo doesn't really need a spell to do anything. He just manipulates...himself...for lack of a better explanation. In other words, Bo doesn't need any spell to make something happen. He just makes it happen. That's one of the biggest reasons Orion is so darned careful with how he handles the boggart. Because you can't specify things with Bo by virtue of his using the correct spell, because Bo doesn't use spells. So, asking Bo to do something, and not making yourself VERY clear, can have serious ramifications.

Just ask Hershel.

So why did he need a spell at all with Orion? Because he needed something to fight Talon's magic. That required Orion. And Orion does need a spell to manipulate magic.

Does that make sense, Dear?

Now, next thing we have to establish here is, what exactly was that spell? The spell Bo taught Orion was a binding spell. It allowed Bo to join with Orion in such a way that the two were practically indistinguishable from one another. This was shown in two facts. One, when Orion tried to leave the cellar, he couldn't. The spell his father had used to trap Bo there was now trapping his son as well. Orion had, as far as the spell was concerned, become the boggart. Second, when Orion went to Hogwart's, the hat sorted him twice. Once into Slytherin and once into Gryffindor. The question posed there was who was the hat sorting each time. This is a large part of the puzzle regarding the boggart's true nature. And even more so, someone else's. But that's for a later discussion. (Think about this. There is really only one form of magic. Not two. Magic isn't dark or light, bad or good. It's just magic. It's what you do with it that makes it one way or the other.)

So, the spell Orion recognized the others were using on Becca was a binding spell. It allowed them to tap into her magical ability for their own use just as Orion can now tap into Bo's.

Was the situation unique? Probably, as that I don't know many families who have a family relation quite like Bo.

Now, for the next part, understand that the spell had nothing to do with Bo's legacy within the family.

In Bo's circumstances, he wasn't using the spell to make Orion his new host. He can't do that. He may be magic, but as such, can be bound by it as well. And that is what he is by the parameters of the spell that brought him into being to begin with. Great Grandpa Black, many generations back, was no fool. He knew how dangerous what he was creating could be, so he tried his best to control it. Problem was, he seriously underestimated the 'Power's'...ah...power, so to speak. For a normal witch or wizard, it was like for a muggle to grab hold of an electrical wire...hooked up to a power plant. You just can't channel that much energy without blowing a few fuses.

So yes, the 'Power' is naturally passed on from one male family member to the next. But the spell had nothing to do with Bo's host-status. It was simply a binding spell.

(PAR looks over her answer.) I've gotta start making these things shorter.

(Moves on.)

Next part.

How did the group get hold of it?

What? The binding spell? No big deal there. Uncle Frank's Big Book Of Spells would have that in it. Nothing special about it.

Did Becca teach it to them? Ha! Huedros wouldn't let Becca teach this group how to rub two sticks together to make fire. They're being used by him just as much as Becca is. Go back to the part about how powerful the 'Power' can be. I didn't just put that in because I like long answers. There was a purpose to that little bit of information. And it points out why there are thirteen people involved in this and not just Heudros.

Becca seems to have no idea of what's going on? Sort of. Can't really say more than that right now.

I'm very glad you are enjoying the story, Dear. And even more thrilled you take the time to review. Thank you.

Skahducky:

**I still find it a little hard to believe Roland was a traitor, but he admitted it himself. I wonder what his side of the story is. After all, they did find him in a cage, and I doubt the other wizards put him there because they had no reason to think Harry would be curious enough about the cages to look into one and rescue the snake he found inside. Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

Waitwaitwait! I do not recall (and I wrote this thing) Roland ever sitting up and stating 'I'm a traitor!'. He never said that. True, he never denied it either, nor did he defend against the accusation until now. But he never said it.

From this chapter, you got most of Roland's side of the story. True, he was in a cage. His reason for being there is in part two.

MasterLupin:

**Well the snakes' betrayal was completely unexpected (to me at least, I was reading your reviews and it seems someone picked up a subtle line dropped last chapter that I forgot).  
Hm, I think Orion is starting to get through to her, maybe enough to throw her masters off balance for just enough time to do something. Post again Soon.**

Now, Lup, here's what I'd like to see from you. Go read ilovesiriusblack's answer and see what you can come up with from that for me. I gave a ton of information in there and you, if anyone, I would suspect could write this story from that answer alone.

I just love your theories.

OK, here's the question. Was what Roland did (at any point) betrayal? You can argue that for a long time. He never knowingly put anyone in danger. He had no idea what the wizards would do to Voldemort. If anything, he's guilty of no more than listening to and believing Heudros, who at this point has moved up from threats to malicious bodily harm with intent.

Subtle? I didn't think the title of the chapter was very subtle.

I'm not sure at this point you could say Orion is trying to get through to Becca. It may seem that way, but all he has really been doing up until now is trying to figure her out. He has an idea about her, and he's trying to gather as many facts as he can to support his theory. Trust me, if the Unspeakable tries to sway her away from Heudros' influence, it won't be a sneak attack.

Trying to throw her master off-balance? He wouldn't have far to go there.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Great chapter! And Roland is revealed. But I am curious as to his side of the story.**

And now you have it.

All reviews are as of 04282007.

And remember;

One of my favorite answering machine messages:

Hello, You are talking to a machine. I am capable of receiving messages. My owners do not need siding, windows, or a hot tub, and their carpets are clean. They give charity through their office and do not need their pictures taken. If you're still with us, leave a message and we'll get back to you.


	66. Chapter 66

A/N: Yah!!!!!!!!

Par got a raise at work!

Very, very happy.

Also, be sure to check out PAR's new story in a new category. Look up Fault under The Dresden Files. And if you missed this wonderful show on the Sci-Fi channel, you deprived yourself of a real treat.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: ROLAND'S STORY (PART TWO)**

"You were Heudros' familiar!" Voldemort all but shouted back at the little snake.

"That was how he got everyone to follow my orders." Roland answered back, refusing to back down. "By making me his familiar."

"All right. It's not a crime to be a familiar." Orion put in, moving a bit closer to positioning himself between Roland and the dark wizard. "Go on, Roland. What happened after you told Heudros about the other snakes?"

The little snake fell silent for a moment as the others listened intently to his story. Lifting his head slowly, Roland took a slow glance around the room, then dropped his head again.

"At first, nothing. I waited for Heudros to call an assembly. That was what he did with the snakes when he needed to talk to them. But this time he didn't. I ask him one day when he was going to, and he more or less brushed the subject off, saying there was no need for it. That he was working on a plan to settle the matter and that was that."

"And this didn't even mildly raise your suspicions?" Voldemort ask.

"I wasn't looking for betrayal around every corner like some people." Roland replied. "Good heavens, man, are you naturally paranoid or is it something you honestly have to work at?"

"Go on, Roland." Orion prompted again.

"Well, one day one of the other snakes came to me and reported that several of our number were missing. No one had seen them for days and there were no reports of them leaving the castle for any reason. They were simply...gone. At the time, I didn't realize it, but the ones who turned up missing were the same ones I had mentioned having heard talking when I spoke to Heudros about the malcontents.

I went to Heudros and I ask him if he knew where the snakes were that were missing. He looked startled, then concerned and ask me for as much information as I could give him about them. Who they were. Who had seen or spoken to them last. Who were their friends. Things I saw no suspicious motives for asking." Roland added, turning to Voldemort.

The dark wizard stared down his nose at the little snake. "All the same questions I would have ask if I wanted to totally eradicate an unfavorable faction." He replied. "Find them, find their friends, family...anyone they may have tried to corrupt with their ideas and wipe them all out."

"Well, you and Heudros just might get along then." Roland said. "Because that was just what he did. At first, no one knew what was going on or what was happening. But slowly but surely snakes began to disappear for no reason. For years, Heudros blamed it on others. The Deatheaters, the Ministry of Magic. He even told his followers that some of the spies they captured who worked for the dark lord were parseltongues and were working with some of the snakes against them."

"Well, that much at least could be true." Voldemort confirmed sullenly. "A few of my spies I gave that ability to."

"That was part of what was so hard to figure out about Heudros. He told the truth when it suited him. So you rarely knew what was a lie and what was the truth. And he was a master at mingling the two to suit his own needs."

"What happened then?" Orion ask.

"After a while even I became suspicious of things. Others were talking. Telling stories of wizards and witches coming to the nests of some of the snakes in the castle and gathering up whole groups and taking them away with no one hearing from them again. Our numbers were getting dangerously low and many of the snakes had left, fearing the very thing I failed to even think. That Heudros had turned against us. But many more stayed, feeling as I did that Heudros would never turn against the snakes. We had been with him for years and he had never done anything to threaten or harm us. He treated us as equals. He would never harm or betray us." The little snake finished in an almost pleading tone.

"Friends are always the hardest ones to see betrayal in, Roland." Orion offered.

"The others tried to warn me." the little snake continued. "They came to me and begged me to help them get rid of Heudros. Without him they felt things could return to the way they had been. But like the fool I was, every one who came to me, asking me to help them overthrow Heudros, I reported to him. I hoped somehow telling him...trying to show him how badly things were deteriorating would force him to realize something needed to be done."

"He did realize it, idiot!" Voldemort snapped at the little snake. "And he was dealing with the problem. All with your help."

"When we found you, you were in a cage." Orion pointed out, turning briefly to Voldemort. "Hardly where I would have expected to find a well-trusted traitor."

"Paranoia's a funny sort of thing." Roland answered. "Once it gets hold of you, unchecked, it keeps growing until you don't trust anyone anymore. That's what happened with Heudros. Eventually even I fell under suspicion. I guess Heudros felt I had heard too much from the malcontents. That after so many months of it, even I was getting corrupted. So one day, yes, I found out what had happened to almost all of my people. Hung in cages, locked in a room and left to starve, butchered outright. I saw it all. Most of the bodies were eventually taken and burned. Heudros was so convinced the snakes had betrayed him, he didn't even want dead ones around him. This room was just one of the ones that got forgotten about because no one ever comes down here."

"What?" Voldemort ask. "You mean you actually kept something to yourself? You didn't run off and tell him about this room as well?"

Orion eyed the man with less than kindness. "That's enough, Voldemort. What he's told us is the truth. He didn't set out to betray his people. He was manipulated and used. Tell me you're not guilty of just such a thing."

"Tell me you're not." Voldemort replied with the smallest trace of smugness in his tone. "And left up to you, I'm sure you would accuse the little scaly rat of nothing more than having some trouble keeping his mouth closed. Whereas I know a traitor when I see one."

Roland sighed as he turned to the dark wizard. "I'm not going to argue the point with you, Voldemort. Because I can't. I was arrogant and I was stupid and I got my people slaughtered. That's a heck of a legacy to have engraved on your headstone."

"Well, I'll do my best to remember it for you." He replied with a small smile that didn't convey one ounce of warmth. "Or better yet, maybe we should just still take you with us when we leave after all. We could return you to your people. Those that had the sense to leave."

"You won't get a warm welcome from them." Roland replied stoically.

"I'll just bet."

"You'd win."

"But you ask us to take you with us when we get out of the castle." Orion pointed out. "If the other snakes hate you so much, why ask us to put you in a situation where you're likely to be found by them?"

Roland sat for a moment before answering him. "Call it atonement." He replied finally.

Orion shook his head. "Don't mistake atonement with suicide, Roland. You want to redeem yourself? Help us stop Heudros. Tell us what you can about him."

"There's not much else to tell." Roland replied. "You found me in the cage, where Heudros had me put and left to die like the others."

"What about the ward on the stairs. Why didn't you warn us?"

"Before I was put in the cage, Heudros said I had a chance to redeem myself with him. To help him defeat his enemies. He said I could prove to him that the snakes didn't betray him. Heudros told me if I was captured by you..."

"Captured?!" Voldemort stated. "You call that being captured?"

Roland spared him a momentary glance. "Heudros said if I could arrange to separate Harry from the rest of you, he could talk to him. He would explain things to Harry and after that you would all leave. I had no way of knowing what he was really planning."

Voldemort gave a loud sigh as he turned back to Orion. "How much longer are you planning on listening to this dribble?"

"As long as it takes for me to learn what I need to." The Unspeakable answered, turning back to the little snake. "Just keep going, Roland. Right now, you're entertaining the heck out of me."

"So glad I'm proving amusing."

"It isn't just amusing, Roland. If I'm going to defeat this wizard, I need to know what his final goal is."

The little snake looked shocked. "You honestly don't know?"

Orion answered with a flat expression. "Enlighten me."

"They're not so hard to figure out. Pretty much standard with every other megalomaniac. He wants to rule the world."

Orion gave the little snake a thoughtful stare. "And with Becca, he stands a very good chance of doing just that."

"With only one problem." Roland stated, pointing his tail at the Unspeakable. "You."

"Me?"

"You and your boggart." Roland clarified. "You're the only thing that stands in Heudros' way."

"Bo?" Orion ask. "What does Heudros know about Bo?"

Roland shrugged. "I'm not sure. But he sure is a favorite topic of conversation with Heudros. In fact, Heudros has been watching the two of you for a very long time. Years, in fact. Had his own spies watching you."

"His spies?"

"What did you think? Heudros just makes lucky guesses at all he knows about things." Roland sat back on his tail as he appeared to think for a moment. "Let me think...what is it that Heudros doesn't know about the Deatheaters...?"

"My Deatheaters!?" Voldemort all but shouted the statement at the little snake. But Roland hardly paid the outburst any mind."

"Shhshhshh." He tsked at the dark wizard. "You're breaking my concentration. Now, where was I? Oh, yes...what doesn't Heudros know about your Deatheaters?" Roland tapped the tip of his chin with his tail before flicking it at Voldemort. "Oh, right. Nothing."

Voldemort leaned down to the little snake. "And how," he drawled out, "is it that your master knows all there is to know about my Deatheaters?"

"Honestly!" Roland snapped back. "Pay attention. S.P.I.E.S.."

"Who!?" The dark wizard demanded.

"You're not very good at this, are you?" Roland ask. "If they're spies, they don't exactly post that on their resume, now do they?"

"You were his familiar!" Voldemort snapped back. "You must know something about them."

"Not this time." The little snake answered. "Heudros kept these two very close to his vest. He never spoke their names to anyone I knew of."

"Two?" Orion stated.

Roland turned back to the Unspeakable. "That's right. One was in Voldemort's camp, and the other," he added, pointing his tail back at Orion, "was in yours."

Orion pulled back slightly. "A spy? In the Ministry?"

Roland shook his head. "You two really don't listen very well." he stated. "Not in the Ministry. In your department."

Orion looked as though the little snake had just come up with the most ludicrous statement he could think of. "A spy? In the Unspeakables? That's not possible."

"Yes, well, Orin Bale isn't as untouchable as he thinks." Roland replied. "Heudros has had a spy watching you for years, Mr. Black. And through that spy he has also learned a great deal about your little friend."

Orion positively paled this time. "Bo? What could anyone tell Heudros about..." But the Unspeakable stopped himself suddenly. What could he himself say that wouldn't only serve to raise Voldemort's suspicions even higher about his boggart. "What possible interest could Heudros have in Bo?" Orion stated instead. "He's just a boggart."

"Riiiggggghhhhht." Roland replied. "And I'm just a snake."

"You know Roland," Orion added coldly, "Voldemort is right about you. Sometimes you really do talk too much."

The little snake picked up on the change in the man's tone immediately. "Right then." He stated quickly. "If that's all you'll be wanting from me, I'll just be off for a short nap. Do let me know when you've decided to leave this room, will you?"

Before anyone could ask him anything more, Roland disappeared back into the hood of Harry's sweater.

"You want me to get him back out?" Harry ask, turning to his uncle.

Orion shook his head. "Leave him be for now."

In truth, the last thing Orion wanted was for the little snake to poke his head out of the hood and keep talking. Heudros obviously knew something about Bo. The question was, how much, and even more importantly to Orion, where did he learn it? Very few people knew the whole story about his families boggart. The immediate family themselves knew, of course, and Katlin, and Orin, and Charly, and now Harry. But who in that group even knew Heudros, let alone would tell him about the boggart?

Orion sighed to himself. The other possibility was that he had been careless, and that some unknown person had figured things out. Voldemort was dangerously close to doing that himself. Who else had he allowed contact with the boggart that would make the connection that things weren't as simple as they seemed.

Maybe his father was right all these years, and limiting Bo's contact with the outside world was simply too dangerous.

Sighing to himself, Orion pushed all thoughts of who in his department was a traitor to his fellow agents and focused on the more immediate problem. Namely trying to get them all out of the castle safely. Despite what Roland said, Orion had few doubts they could remain in any one place in the castle for very long without Heudros finding them eventually.

But even that fell secondary to his main goal.

"So now what?" A voice broke into his thoughts.

Orion turned to see Arabella standing next to him.

"Well, getting out of here would be nice." Orion answered. "But while we're working on that, we need to consider an even more pressing issue."  
"Which would be?"

"If everything Roland said was true, then Heudros' is getting the majority of his power from Becca. If we can separate her from him we stand an even better chance of stopping him, since according to Roland, without Becca, Heudros isn't much of a wizard at all."

"But how do we get her away from him?" Arabella ask. "She seems totally devoted to him."

"Based on what Roland said, she is. He said if Heudros told her the sky was purple, Becca would believe him."

Arabella frowned at the statement. "Then what are we going to do?"

Orion gave her one of his more charming smiles. "I guess we're just going to have to show Becca the sky is really blue."

**Q&A**

It's not very often, folks, that I have to step back in my Q&A and go...Ooooooooops! But here you go.

Last week I told ilovesiriusblack that the Binding spell the thirteen used on Becca was not that unusual and could be found in any standard spell book.

That isn't true. Mostly because it totally contradicts what Orion told Katlin about the spell. Bo taught it to him. And being as well versed at that age in spells as Orion was with Bo as a teacher, if the spell was common, he would have already known it. But since he did not, the spell had to be somewhat unique.

So, no, the spell was not a common one.

Sorry.

**Q&A**

Skahducky:

**That story was certainly interesting. You do have a knack for making things out to be entirely different from how they seem at first (I'm thinking of Heudros' alternate story for Voldemort's reasons to kill Harry's parents).  
So how long are Harry and the others going to stay in Heudros' lair? Didn't they set out to defeat Heudros? Doesn't that mean they should be looking for a way to find him so they can attack him while he thinks they're just lost?  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

I enjoyed working on that story. It was a true exercise in trying to look at something from someone else's point of view to try and rewrite those events.

Their days there are certainly numbered. And don't get confused. The castle is not Heudros' 'lair'. Think of it as his amusement park. A place of his making where he can control everything. Past that, the castle has another explanation that will come up shortly. And oddly enough, keep in mind they haven't been on this journey all that long to begin with. Three days max.

Defeat him how? they set out to stop him. How they were going to do that hits a bit of a snag when everyone has their own ideas of how to best accomplish that goal.

Heudros doesn't think they're lost, Dear. In fact, he has a fairly decent idea where they are. In fact, very little is done in the castle that Heudros wouldn't be aware of. However, just 'how aware' he is of it depends on a one crucial factor. And that is Becca. So the real question here, one would suppose, is who is really controlling this game?

(Becca's naive, folks. She ain't stupid.)

ilovesiriusblack:

**Another great chapter. Ok trying to answer your question 'Was what Roland did at any point a betrayal?' Personally I wouldn't think that you could argue that he never knowingly put anyone in danger, from this chapter with his knowledge of what Heudros did to all the snakes I would have a hard time believing that Roland thought that the wizard just wanted Voldemort over for tea and cakes he must have had some idea.  
A question from this chapter, when Roland said 'the oldest of our kind' are we talking about the oldest snakes that took up residence in the castle, or oldest as in world wide? Also this chapter makes me think that this castle is not the ancestral family home and the presence of all those snakes makes me wonder who lived there before the 14 moved in?  
As always looking forward to the next chapter.**

What can I say? Roland is a perpetual optimist. Something shown in this latest chapter. He refused, against all evidence to the contrary, to believe Heudros had done harm to any of the snakes. You want naive in this story? Folks, it's small, green, has no feet, is short on length and long on attitude.

Yes, Dear. The oldest snakes living in the castle or anywhere near it. When Roland refers to 'his kind' or 'his people', he's only talking about the snakes he knows. Which would be those in the immediate area.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Good question, Dear. I'm proud of you! Indeed, exactly whose castle is that?

Unfortunately, I can't answer that right now. But it is answered in this story.

Silverfox:

**Ah yes, that's what I suspected. ... That all the snakes worked for Heudros once surprised me, though. I guess Roland's earlier explanation that he feared they could be working for Voldemort was a red herring then?  
If I understood this correctly Heudros is Becka's host as Talon is Bo's, so would it even be possible to separate her from him? Seems to me like poor Becka can't be saved. (And she'd have made such a wonderful playmate for Bo. ;) )**

Fox, I just gotta ask, because your last review covered so much...what exactly was it that you suspected?

The story of the Heudros and the snakes isn't over yet, Dear. Remember Katlin's words, 'every story has two sides'? They'll be echoing through out the last few chapters here (and yes, we are near the end, believe it or not).

Assuming you mean Roland's earlier explanation that Heudros feared the snakes were all working for Voldemort being a red herring, yes and no. Roland is simply telling things as he sees them. I suppose if in order to sleep better at night you absolutely have to assign it a reason, use this one: Heudros is paranoid.

Fox, you're wandering around in dangerous places here. I never said Becca is anything like Bo. And with good reason. Mostly because, on so many levels, she's not.

Now, in order to answer your questions (because I really want to since it'll give you something to think about), lets assume for the moment Becca isn't quite human.

With that in mind:

1. Is Heudros Becca's host? No, he is not.

2. Would it be possible to separate her from him or him from her? Sure. Probably be the best thing for both of them actually.

3. Seems like poor Becca can't be saved? That would depend on her religious views, wouldn't it, Dear? (Oh look, PAR made a little funny.)

As to your last statement, Dear...wouldn't she just!

MasterLupin:

**Well I read the reply and I am getting the feeling that Bo has a limited life span; once too much of his power is used he will cease to exist if he is all energy and no substance. The spell binding BO to Talon and the spell that prevented Orion from contacting BO in the prison cell seem at first to be two different spells. However if one views it as more like a containment field then it makes sense. But that would also indicate that the field could be breached.  
Orion may realize this field could be breached and use that to his advantage concerning Huedros and Becca. If my theory that Becca is bound in a manner similar to BO, which means that her life force is also finite.**

Lup! Do I look like Rowling, whacking off my most popular character for shock value?

Actually, Bo's 'capacity' for power is almost limitless. That is, while it is finite (did I just contradict myself completely?), it would take an unbelievably huge draw on his resources to cause him burn out, so to speak. To date, no one has even come close. Destroying Voldemort's lair was just a slight hiccup in the power spectrum to Bo. He likely didn't even notice it much.

Bo's 'problem', if you want to call it that, is that he is incredibly powerful, but he doesn't know it. It's like having a nuclear reactor in your backyard, but you have no idea what it's for. The danger is, there's always that small chance that someone in the neighborhood will figure out how to start it up one day, but no one can contain it, and no one knows how to turn it off. We then have a little incident known as Three Mile Island with a little Chyrnobol (you try to spell the name of small Russian towns) thrown in for good measure.

That's the dangerous potential Orion is always trying to hold in balance with Bo. Trust me, there's a lot more to the man than people realize that he is able to do that, not just for a few years, but most of his life. And that he almost always has to have a handle on it. Bo interacts with a lot of things in his day. Things he doesn't understand or know how to deal with. Talon chose to deal with that by keeping Bo on a short lease and treating him like a military five star general would treat a private. Rules and restrictions. Orion chose to deal with it by trying to teach the boggart about the world he was now living in. In short, one is trying to restrict the boggart while the other is trying to encourage him to explore. It's also one of the biggest areas of contention between Orion and his father.

And actually, one of my favorite stories is one that's coming out later called Bo's Day Out, in which the very thing Orion fears the most, happens. Bo gets out of the house and goes off on his own into the world without his host or his channeler to guide him.

Bo has substance, Dear. He's a boggart. Or at least he use to be.

Actually, you bring up an interesting point, and one that is dealt with in exactly four lines in Family Ties. Katlin attempts to get Bo to take off the robes he wears, and Orion advises against it. In answer to her question of 'why', Orion replies because he believes the robes are all there is to Bo anymore.

But mind you, as of that story, there's no proof ever offered to support that. And Bo ain't talking...or stripping for anybody.

'The spell that binds Bo to Talon and the one that prevented Orion from contacting Bo in the prison cell seemed like two different spells'? That's because they are.

The spell binding Bo to Talon, his host, is a generations old spell. It is the spell that created Bo in the beginning, and bound him to the Black family. (Note also, this is different from the spell Bo taught Orion as a means to escape the cellar.)

The spell that kept Orion from contacting Bo in the prison cell was indeed, a type of containment field. One placed around Orion. It was the same type of spell as the one placed on the collar Becca put on Orion when she placed the sealed cage around them. And yes, it can be breeched. Problem is, new situation, new skills called for. This is not a good thing to present Bo with without help. It causes issues.

Let me cut your theory short here, Dear. Becca is not bond to Heudros. No how, no way. Not even close. But that's all I can say on that because Becca and her circumstances are a large part of this story.

However, is Becca's life force finite? Depends what you mean by that. Can she be killed? Most definitely. Anything alive can die.

Is her power limited? Yes. But it's a reeeeeaaaallllllllllllllly deep well.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome chapter! **

Thank you, Dear.

All reviews are as of 05/06/2007.

And remember;

If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.


	67. Chapter 67

A/N: You are probably (she said with all humility) getting ready to sit back with one of the better chapters of this story (Part A and B)(Part B next week.). There is absolutely boatloads of information in this chapter. So my advice is to sit back, read, and

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: OFFERINGS (PART ONE)**

Thankfully Orion didn't keep the group in the room any longer than he felt was necessary. Very shortly they were on the move again, once more following the slower than usual pace of Orion's boggart as he led the way through the passages.

"Is he even sure where he's going?" Arabella ask after what seemed the better part of an hour had past walking down one corridor after another.

"In regards to what?" Came the short answer.

"I thought we were trying to get to the outside." She replied. "But Roland brought us down a set of stairs. We have yet to go up any."

"Not necessary." Orion answered. "Bo took us through three wards already that he says were designed to move us up."

"Up?" She ask. "Up to where?"

"Doesn't matter. Just up."

"Does he even know where we are?"

Orion turned back to her. "We're in the castle. I thought that was obvious."

Arabella sighed loudly in frustration.

"Bo is not a compass, Arabella." Orion replied. "And he's doing the best he can right now. But he's very nervous...and we all know what he's like when he gets nervous. So please...don't add to his pressure."

"Perhaps there is another way." Lupin put in.

Orion turned to the man, regarding him as one would something particularly irritating. "Like what?"

"Harry said that when he was with the wizard, they were in an area that led to the outside. If we could find that open area, we could likely escape."

"One problem with that." Orion replied flatly. "We have no idea where it is."

"But we can find it."

"How?"

"The same way we found Voldemort. Harry's been there before, all we have to do is find his scent and follow it."

Orion folded his arms over his chest. "Harry and Heudros traveled through a ward to get there and to return. There's no path to follow."

"But if we follow the trail to the ward, and it's still in place, it should take us to the same place."

"If it's still in place." Orion pointed out firmly. "And if it's the same ward."

"Well," Lupin replied mildly, "your boggart seems fairly well versed in sorting out those sorts of things. I'm sure he can tell if its the same ward or not."

Orion started to reply when Bo tapped him on the shoulder and immediately launched into a series of his complex gestures. All of which Orion observed with a growing frown. But finally he turned back to Lupin.

"Bo seems to feel your plan has some merit."

Lupin smiled at the boggart. "Thank you."

A soft trill answered him.

"But exactly how are we going to find the ward? It's been hours since Harry was with Heudros. And we have no idea if we're even anywhere near the same area. It could be on the other side of the castle for all we know."

"Or it could be right under our feet...for all we know." Lupin answered. "There's only one way to find out."

Instantly the man standing before Orion disappeared. In his place stood a large, tawny coated wolf.

Bo quickly applauded the man's effort, leaning down to pat the wolf on the head.

"Don't placate." Orion hissed at him.

A slight huff of air answered him as it ruffled the material in front of the boggart's face.

"Well?" Orion ask, turning his attention to the wolf.

The animagus put his nose to the ground and began sniffing about. Within minutes he started off in the same direction from which the group had just come.

With a sigh, Orion signaled the rest of the group to follow. He knew what Lupin's strategy was, and while not a bad one, it would take considerable time. They would be retracing most of their steps right back to where they had found Voldemort, then work back from there.

When they finally reached the large, charmed brick wall, Orion allowed the group a brief rest break.

Just as Lupin took advantage of the break to transform back, a sudden flash of white light erupted before the group.

"Oh for the love of Pete!" Orion stated, staring at the young woman now standing before them. "Haven't you got anything else better to do?"

In response Becca raised her hand and pointed a finger at him. A flash of light shot out of it and hit the wall just to the side of his head.

True to his Auror training, Orion didn't so much as move a muscle while the rest of the group quickly pulled back from the blast. Even as she had moved, Orion had moved one step ahead of her, calculating her actions and reacting to them as the situation dictated. In this case, to do nothing seemed to unnerve her as much as anything else he could have done.

And it was all too apparent she had hoped for a bit more of a reward for her act than to have it basically ignored as she stared back at him in irritation.

"Got that out of your system then, have you?" Orion ask casually.

"You will show respect!" Becca declared.

Orion sighed as he leaned against the wall, his head level with the small charred mark left there from Becca's attack. "And lady, I'll tell you what I tell my sixteen year old. When you earn it, you'll get it."

"You are trying my master's patience, Mr. Black." She informed him. "You would do well to guard your tongue more carefully."

"And your master is pushing my limits of tolerance as well, Becca. The man has done everything he can think of up until now just short of outright killing us to try and stop us. Has he ever once bothered, instead of playing his parlor tricks, to just come out into the open and talk to us instead of constantly sending you to do his dirty work? Or do you honestly just enjoy torturing people that much?"

The woman fell absolutely silent as she stared back at the man before her. For all the world Orion would have sworn he could practically smell the smoke as she mulled over his words. The entire time never once did he let his attention move from her face, watching ever emotion that flitted across it. But in the end, what he liked the least, was that there weren't that many to identify. Every time he confronted her with just such a statement, he could only register two emotions in the woman. The first was confusion. The second, denial.

"You talk in nothing but riddles." Becca finally replied. "You have not been tortured and my master does not seek to kill you. He has been very..."

"Generous." Orion cut her off. "Yes. I know. You've been preaching his generosity to us since we started this journey. But let me correct a few misconceptions you seem to have, Becca. One, if your master is not trying to kill us, then explain why we were trapped on a bridge where we easily could have ended up burned alive in very short order?"

"And yet here you are. Unharmed." Becca countered quickly, crossing her arms in front of her. "How convenient."

"Fine." Orion replied. "Then explain that box you yourself locked us in. It was air tight, and there was no evident way out."

Becca huffed at the accusation. "You were in no danger with that obstacle, which my master was well aware of."

"Then why did he put us there?" Orion pushed on quickly. "If the object of the box wasn't to stop us, what was it?"

The woman again fell absolutely silent and again Orion swore he could practically smell the smoke.

"What was your master's purpose, Becca?" He ask again. "You say it isn't to kill us. Then what is it?"

For a moment Orion wasn't sure if she was going to answer or not. But abruptly Becca pulled herself up to her full height as she glared back at him. "That obstacle was merely a test. Nothing more. You were in no danger from it."

"A test? Of what?" Orion ask, although he was fairly certain he knew the answer already.

"I don't question my master. I do only as he asks. His reasons for what he does are none of my concern."

"Fine. You're a good little dog. What about the other thirteen? Are you their toy as well?"

If his words struck any cords, the woman hid it well as she fixed her gaze on him. "My master's vassals are of no concern to me."

"No concern?" Orion ask in disbelief. "Those thirteen leaches suck power off of you and its no concern of yours what they do with it?"

"The vassals use that power to serve our master."

"Serve him?" Orion laughed. "They serve themselves. Your power enhances their own meager magical abilities." He added pointing a finger at her. "You are the only power here, Becca. Without you, Heudros and all of his followers would be nothing. You are the one who gives them their great power. You are the one they should be following. You are the one who should be in control. Not living your life like the backdoor little scullery maid they treat you as. They should be serving you."

If Orion had hoped his words would shock the girl into rebellion, he couldn't have been more wrong. Tilting her head back, Becca gave a short, sharp laugh to his suggestion.

"You are insane. My master has always said so. Now, it seems, you are out to prove it."

"Why? What part of what I have said isn't true?"

Becca gave another short, sharp laugh. "What part wasn't true? Shorter to answer what part of it was."

"Well?"

"None of it."

"Really?"

"My master has power. Great power. And you would do well to fear him."

"Is that what he wants of you, Becca? To fear him?"

The girl looked shocked. "Fear him? I love my master. He has done everything for me. And in return I assist him as I can in his work."

"Killing innocent people? Is that what you're so proud of with him? That you serve a murdering son of a..."

A second flash of light erupted from the girl's palm as she brought it up suddenly. But again Orion didn't make of a move other than to barely sidestep it.

"You will not insult my master so. He is a kind, generous man. Why do you hurl these horrible accusations at him?"

"Because they're true."

"You lie!"

"If I'm lying, Becca, then where is your master? Where is Heudros while I'm standing here hurling these insults at him?

Hiding, that's where. Because he can no more deflect them than he can a eleven year old's spells. He knows I speak the truth and he has no defense against my words. If he did, he would be here, rather than sending you to do his dirty work. Because he can't defend himself, because he can't stand up to me, wizard to wizard, he uses the one with the real power to do it for him. You! And he lies to you and manipulates you to get you to do it."

Orion seriously expected to be dodging another fireball at that point, but nothing in the girl's stance indicated she was even remotely perturbed by his renewed attack on her master. Instead she simply stood before him looking...smug.

An instant later a man appeared next to her.

Orion studied the man for a moment, sizing up his opponent through every attribute the man willingly or unwittingly displayed.

"Heudros, I would presume?" He said finally.

**Q&A**

ilovesiriusblack:

**Oh I wonder how long it's going to take Orion to figure out that it is Charly? The Black brothers never seem to have much luck in choosing their friends. In response to Master Lupins review you said that anything that is alive can be killed, is Bo alive? If the boggart were to be killed would the power remain? Let us also remember that Emc2 if bo ever gets tired just give him a burger.  
I hate to pick on Roland i'm sure his heart is in the right place but come on what is he using for brain cells? and in this chapter he openly admits to being a traitor, he'd rather save his own skin (that had acctually already been saved) than Harry's (who had done the saving) can the group really trust him not to do it again?  
Fantastic story looking forward to next week.**

Not as long as you think. And that's not entirely true. Let's pause for a moment and remember why Charly did what he did. He did not agree to work for the wizard in the North for personal gain, as someone else we could mention (cough**Treaks**cough). Nor did he do it to out right screw anyone over, like someone we could mention (coughcough**Treaks**coughcough). There was also absolutely no malice in his decision or in any of the choices he made regarding the path he chose, like someone we could mention (coughcoughcough**Treaks**coughcoughcough).

Everything Charly has done and every choice he has made has been to try and keep Orion safe, not to harm him or anyone else. So lets just agree we're going to give poor Charly a chance, before the lynch mob strings him up, to hear his side of things.

Absolutely! Bo breaths, he moves, he thinks for himself...sort of...and I'm going to assume, to keep the corporeal part of himself alive, he has to eat and/or drink 'something'. (Rowling indicated boggart's feed off of their 'victim's fear. So you can safely assume Bo also feeds off of others emotions, just a wider variety.) He is most definitely alive.

If the boggart part of Bo were killed, what would happen to the 'Power'? Good question. But keep in mind, that part of Bo is pure magic. It has no form but the one it was given by Talon...that of the boggart. Past that, it only resided as part of it's host. So, should Bo's boggart side ever suffer injury resulting in its 'ceasing to be', the 'Power' would probably seek out it's host, likely whining the entire way back to him, about how unfair life suddenly became, and demanding (like any good three year old) that he 'fix it'. Make no mistake about it, the 'Power' likes its autonomy.

Not necessarily. Emc2 references our realm, Dear. And only the purely physical part of it. Boggarts do not fall into that category. They are magical creatures. (See above - reference: boggarts.) Although Bo would probably like a burger once in a while.

Weelllllllllll, Roland kinda deserves that. And maybe his picnic was short a few ants at the time. But the poor thing was living under a great deal of stress lately. And whose to say, from Roland's point of view, he has any more reason to trust Harry and the others than they have to trust him? Remember, Roland's own master betrayed him after years together. The little snake is not big on 'trust' right now.

skahducky:

**Despite what the castle is, there's no denying Heudros and Becca are around. I guess their main goal now is convincing Becca to work against Heudros, but you implied she isn't telling him everything at the moment, namely where Harry and the others are. That could easily be done in the castle since Becca is there as well. Although, I guess Becca was keeping up with them even when they weren't in the lair, so they should still have access to her once they leave. Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

You know, I applaud anyone who has enough sense to look at the situation and ask 'what really is that castle'? And it does serve a specific purpose. It is not just there to fill up space or make the scenery look nicer. It has a reason for existing.

True, Becca isn't as naive as she acts. But she's already displayed some rather rebellious behavior when she went with Harry in escaping from Heudros, and then didn't return with him to her master. Something she could have done at any time...sort of. Ummmmm...actually, that one's a bit tricky. You'll see what I mean later.

In regards to that, let me add this, (If you're not already confused, this should do it); Becca actually has more access to the group outside of the castle than in it. Inside, they are more under Heudros' thumb than Becca's. Even though, under no circumstance, should it be that way.

Silverfox:

**The thing I expected was Roland being Heudros' familiar. From the moment he first mentioned being a familar, in fact. What I didn't expect, though is that he never turned on him at all. It makes Heudros look a lot more dangerous all of a sudden. If he's that paranoid nobody can trust him.  
So the spell is very specific, but Becca is nothing like Bo? Either we're thinking of two very different things here, or you just lost me completely ... probably both. drops thoughts of the spell entirely and decides to invest further thought in Roland's reaction to Bo ... Then again ... settles on continuing to wonder just what Lupin's there for**

Really?! I didn't think that was that obvious!

Why should Roland have turned on him while he was his familiar? Heudros gave Roland everything he wanted. Power, prestige, a place to live, food to eat, and a good job. Roland was happy. He saw no reason t change that. The boat ain't sinking, Dear. No need to start bailing.

Heudros is dangerous. Becca even more so. Together they are one very volatile mixture. One that so far only Orion is seeing the potential of. The man is literally tap dancing in a mine field.

Heudros doesn't even trust himself. He's just that paranoid.

Work with me here, Dear. No, Becca and Bo are not the same. But the same 'in what way'. That's what I'm getting at.

And in regards to that, I could make a list.

Oh no. Go back to this. And I'll even help you on the other two.

1. Roland's reaction to Bo was pure and natural. The snake saw a boggart...he reacted. No hidden agenda here on the author's part. I mean, how could there be? Roland knows nothing more about Bo than anyone else does, right?

2. Now, we already went through this, fox. If you read the story, you'll note quite explicitly that Lupin's parts read a bit stilted. That's because he wasn't part of the initial group. He was added later because I needed a good tracker. He also served a few other purposes, but the story was getting too long and I have pared it down by about five chapters to date. Most of those chapters involved Lupin. (Quickly ducks pineapple pieces thrown by the Lupin Fan Club.)

Vicious little basta...

...anyway, that's how it goes sometimes, folks.

MasterLupin:

**Actually, Bo's 'capacity' for power is almost limitless. That is, while it is finite (did I just contradict myself completely?), it would take an unbelievably huge draw on his resources to cause him burn out, so to speak.  
Well to answer your question, in a scientific perspective almost limitless, and finite, both mean that there is a limit; so no, you did not contradict yourself. **  
**With my last response I was trying to analyze the story in a scientific manner. Clearly that was the wrong direction to take. And I know you aren't one to kill main characters for shock value.  
On a complexly (not really I just wanted to use the word) unrelated thought, I look forward to reading Bo's day out, seems like a fun little jaunt.  
I am now starting to wander if the castle itself has something more to play in the story as apposed to just being a setting with a short little background story. It seems almost Hogwarts like in design what with the odd floor layout and seemingly endless halls and hidden passages. To Hogwarts like…… Could the founder of Slytherin, a certain Salazar Slytherin have been involved with the castle? It would explain the large dungeons (Salazar's seeming home according to JK) and many snakes.**

Didn't think so.

Thank you for be a sensitive and caring individual to see that.

Bo's Day Out was written purely for fun and entertainment. It is a nice light little read in which there is no stress, no tension, and absolutely NO characters die. (Although a few might wish they had.)

BLESS YOU! (PAR stands up and applauds loudly.)

(Reads on and sits back down.) Ummmmmm...train blew the whistle signaling departure, Dear. Why weren't you on it?

Point being, is the castle more than it appears? Abso-frickin'-lutely! The castle serves a very real purpose in this story. It is not there solely because some farmer needed to clear his field of rocks. It has purpose. It has meaning. It is a plot device! Not a random article.

Moving on.

Did Salazar have anything to do with it's construction? Nope.

Dungeons aren't so large, and all the snakes are gone. Even Voldemort wouldn't feel at home here right now.

So sorry, no. The castle is the work of one man only. And it was not Salazar Slytherin. And it serves only his purpose.

Illione:

**I'm a wee bit confused and maybe you can help me out.  
When Harry came up against the supposedly stone wall, he pulled out his wand and tried to negate the concealment spell.  
Ten seconds after he walks through the wall, he suddenly forgets he has his own wand and tries desperately to get Voldemort's for the sole purpose of getting into the cell and freeing his possessed godfather.  
Do you see my confusion?**

Ummmm...ummmm...ummmm...ummmmmm...oh, c!!p!

Have you ever wanted a gold star, Dear? They're really pretty, and they are darned hard to earn.

Basically, they are given out for glaring continuity errors that anyone with two brain cells more than the author has to rub together, finds.

So, without further ado, after many, many, many bleak months of no gold stars being awarded, Illione, I am proud to aware you the PAR Gold Star! (Gold star that I can't actually put in anymore because FFN keeps deleting my asterisks.)

Wear it proudly, Dear.

Basic answer; no, there is no explanation for it. I made a mistake.

Snow Baby:

**Ohh... pretty, shiny new chapter :) Very nicely done and I have to admit to looking forward to more!  
Cheers**

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING! A normal name people can actually pronounce! Whatever is the matter with you, child?!

Anyway, yes, very pretty, shiny new chapter.

Thank you for the compliment and look forward to having you back next week.

Salute.

All reviews are as of 05/13/2007.

And remember;

A very Happy Mother's Day to all of you who qualify, especially to my own. Thanks, Mom!


	68. Chapter 68

A/N: (People start checking their watches.)

So exactly how much longer is this thing?

I feel it is fairly safe to say Family Relations has about five more chapters.

Will everything be wrapped up then?

Ummmmmmm..., no. The final wrap up will be in Family Ties, which is, of the three arcs of the Family series, the shortest. But if you leave Family Relations with any questions, I promise you Family Ties will answer them.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE: OFFERINGS (PART B)**

The man stood before them as still as a statue for several moments, but finally broke the silence.

"I suppose to say it is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Black, would be pointless."

Orion stared up at the man for several silent moments. "If everything I believe about you is true, I'd be willing to bet the farm I'm the last person you're happy to see."

The man remained silent for a few seconds, then turned his attention from Orion to Harry. "Actually, the person at this moment I am the most disappointed in to see is you, young Mr. Potter." He stated. "I would have thought by now you would have seen the wisdom in heeding the warnings you have been given and not allowed others to continue to direct your actions."

Harry merely stared up at the man, saying nothing. For a few seconds he allowed his attention to shift to his uncle, but just as quickly directed it back to the man before him.

"You've done well to come this far." Heudros continued authoritatively, turning his attention back to the group as a whole. "And it would be a waste to see your efforts come to nothing. But to go on is not advised." He added in a bored tone. "I have been very patient with you. But that patience is wearing thin. But still, I have no argument with any of you, and I do not wish to see you destroyed. And so do I come with an offer for each of you. A token of my admiration for your efforts, and a respectable trade for your promise to end this trek here and now."

"Trade? Orion ask. "What sort of trade?"

The man turned to him. "I offer to each of you each your heart's desire. The thing you hold closest to you."

"Really?" Voldemort spoke up in a slow, irritated tone, crossing his arms in front of him. "And what do you suppose you possess I would be even remotely interested in?"

The man turned back to him. "You, Lord Voldemort, Leader of the Deatheaters, I respect. I respect your power. I respect your accomplishments. I respect the man you have structured yourself into."

"You would do better to fear me." Voldemort replied in a tone as chilled as an artic wind.

The man barely even acknowledged the interruption. "You seek respect from your contemporaries. In a world where you are a perpetual Pariah, you seek simple acceptance. I offer you all this and more with us. You would be highly respected within our ranks and a place of great honor would be yours. Honor for your abilities and for your knowledge. We would welcome you openly."

"Would that be the same welcome you offered me before?" Voldemort ask flatly.

The man shook his head. "Those responsible for that incident have been dealt with. They were plainly told no harm was to come to you. They chose to ignore those instructions, so did they pay the price. Myself and the others, we know the value of having a wizard such as yourself join us. We can offer you the power you crave."

Voldemort stood for a moment, studying the man before him before he said slowly, "You need to go back to your astute observations of us. I have the things you are so generously offering me. And I have no desire to become someone else's lapdog. I lead. I do not follow."

"You just don't work and play well with others." Arabella offered with a terse smile.

The man cut him off before Voldemort could answer her.

"And you," He stated, turning to Arabella, "You wish the spirit back fully in this body. Safe, unharmed, and whole. I offer this to you."

Briefly startled by the man's shift in attention to her, Arabella started to say something, but stopped abruptly. A hand rested itself on her shoulder. She turned just enough to catch sight of Voldemort standing behind her, his expression as open as she had ever seen it. A plea.

Slowly she turned back to the man before her. "And I decline your offer." Was all the answer she gave.

The man stared at her as though utterly surprised. But he quickly recovered himself. "You don't believe I can give you this?" He asked, as though that was the only explanation he could accept for her refusal.

"I don't believe I owe you any explanation." Arabella replied smoothly. "I have made my choice, and my answer is 'no'."

The man paused again, then turned to Harry. "You have lived your life alone." He stated. 'Without family. Without parents. My offer to you, Harry Potter, is the thing in your life you wish above any other. The return of your parents."

If the man expected gratitude or excitement from his offer, he couldn't have been more surprised.

"My parents are dead." Harry stated defiantly. "No one can't change that."

"You under-estimate me." The man stated. "I can give you what I say. And all you need give up...," he added, turning slightly to where Voldemort stood, "...is the life of the man who took them from you so unjustly."

Voldemort looked up. "I'm just going to assume you mean me." He stated in a half-interested tone.

The man ignored him. "All of this I offer to you, Harry Potter. The lives of your parents returned to you and the life of the man responsible for their deaths forfeited in exchange."

"Wonderful. I won't accept your offer, so your going to kill me now?" Voldemort stated testily.

"You had your chance." The man replied flatly, but kept his attention focused on Harry.

"So, for my parents to be returned to me," Harry asked carefully, "Voldemort has to die."

The man nodded.

"No." Came the blatant answer.

Again the man looked utterly stunned. "You would honestly refuse such an offer?" He stated. "I am being most generous."

"You heard the boy." Voldemort snapped back with a pleased, superior smile. "He said 'no'."

"Silence, vermin!" The man stated firmly. "The choice is the boy's alone to make."

"Now I'm vermin?" Voldemort ask dryly.

"My answer is 'no'." Harry replied. "Nothing in this world can bring my parents back. Not really bring them back. And even if you could somehow do that, it isn't right at the cost of someone else's life."

"You have made a very poor choice." The man stated in a good deal less friendly and solicitous voice. "Perhaps your companions will make better ones." He quickly turned his attention to Lupin. "You have been set upon by a curse most unjustly. I offer to remove this from you."

Lupin looked thoughtful for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "I am afraid I must also respectfully decline your offer."

The man looked exasperated. "For what reason?"

"For ones you will never understand." Lupin replied.

The man paused, studying the lycanthrope for a moment before turning his attention to Katlin.

Throughout the exchanges, Orion had studied each person in turn, judging their responses. To him it was little more than an exercise to hone his skills. But it was his own wife that mystified him. Each of the others had listened patiently to the offer, and then equally refused it. But Katlin had stood prepared for it. In his judgment he would have said she was viewing whatever Heudros offered her as an unspeakable insult before it was even offered. The absolute hatred emanating from her now was so palatable he could almost feel it as a physical thing.

And before Heudros even spoke she cut him off.

"And what foolish offer do you think you can make me? What thing do you think you possesses that I could possibly want from you?" The words were practically spat at the man.

Heudros stood silently for a moment, as if judging this latest reception. "I offer you peace." He state simply.

"You would do better to offer me pieces of yourself."

"Do not spurn my offer so quickly." He advised. "For what I offer no one else can give you. You who have lost not only your family, but your life. All taken from you in a single instance. I can restore all of this to you."

Katlin studied the man for a moment, some of the tension in her expression seeming to drain away. To Orion's surprise, however, the calming of her outward expression was a total contradiction to her actual demeanor. If possible the hatred in her for the man standing before her positively soared.

"How?" Katlin ask in such a calm, civilized manner one would have though she was discussing some mundane event with the man.

"Your village, your friends, your family, all will be restored to you. For such is my power. You can return to your life as it should have been, not as it was cruelly fashioned to be by the man who took you in and manipulated you to his own ends."

"Me again, right?" Voldemort interjected quickly.

"And at the forfeit of whose life this time?" Katlin ask with a deep frown again etched across her face.

"No one's. It shall simply be as though the tragic events of your past never happened."

Katlin paused, then gave the man a short, derisive laugh. "All you are offering is to rewrite the past, which no one can truly do. All you can have is a well-constructed lie. And I have already had too much experience with those."

"It would be real." The man promised her.

Katlin gave the man another, short, dismissing laugh. "Real?" She ask in a spite filled tone. "You want reality, I will give it to you."

A bright spiral of light rapidly twisted its way around her body, starting at her feet and ending as it swirled briefly about her head as it encased her body.

When the light faded, in its aftermath stood a woman few would have recognized or made any connection with to the one who had stood in her place only seconds before. A scarred, bent, twisted body was all that remained of the once beautiful woman called Katlin Griss. Barely able to hold itself up, Orion quickly rushed to his wife's side, offering her one arm as support as the other quickly went about her waist.

But she quickly shoved him away as her gaze never left the man before her.

"Look and look well." She hissed at him. "Look at years of pain. Years of humiliation and self-hatred. Years of wanting nothing more...than to die. And you say you are going to 'fix it'!?"

Once more the light swirled up around her, and in an instant the mask of her body was back in place.

"Do tell." Came the ice cold challenge.

"You doubt what I can do." Heudros replied after a few brief moments where he seemed to genuinely struggle to regain his train of thought. "But I promise you, what I offer you is real."

"It wouldn't matter how real it was," Katlin fired back, "it would still be a lie."

The man seemed to be rapidly reaching the end of his patients.

"Foolish woman. Do you have no concept of what I am offering you?"

"Perfectly. And I would be very careful how you insult me, as that you have already very callously insulted my master, on whose very generous benevolence towards you are you even still standing."

Voldemort stood watching the exchange with his chin resting in one palm, his arm supported by the other. He quickly raised one finger. "The jury's still out on that one. "

The man seemed to have reached his limit finally. "Is there no one among you that recognizes how generous I have been in the offers I have made to you?"

Roland, having pulled himself up onto Harry's shoulder, quickly waved his tail in the air as he coiled himself up. "Hey, booby!" He stated, waving his tail frantically for the man's attention. "What about me?" He asked. "What are you offering me?"

The man abruptly pointed his finger at the little snake, firing off a spell at him. "A quick and painless death, servant of the evil one!"

"That's it!" Voldemort snapped, pointing at the man as Roland quickly dropped down into a flat coil and Harry ducked down to avoid the path of the spell. "Katlin, kill him!"

Reaching for her wand without hesitation, a hand on Katlin's shoulder quickly stayed her.

"Just a moment." Orion stated. "I haven't heard what I'm being offered yet."

"More lies, I would wager." Katlin hissed between her teeth.

For the life of him, Orion could not understand Katlin's reaction to Heudros. It wasn't irritation, or annoyance, or even just dislike. It was pure, uncensored, seething hatred.

"So would I." The Unspeakable replied calmly. "Because that seems to be all this man has to offer any of us. A package full of lies and false promises."

"Is that so?" Heudros ask, turning his full attention to the Unspeakable. "Then tell me, Mr. Black, will you also be so quickly to turn down what I offer you?"

Orion gave the man a false smile. "I don't know. I haven't heard what it is you're offering yet."

"You are the first born son to a family living in the shadow of a longstanding curse. One that has haunted your family for generations. You stand, even now, on the brink of seeing this curse passed on from you to your own eldest child. Something your father sought to save you from, which even now you think you can equally save your own child from. And yet, for all your efforts, and all those of your father, you have not as yet managed to contain this evil and rid your family of it. Take your companions, leave this place now, and I promise you the evil will not follow you back. It will be trapped here, and here it will remain. Never to trouble your family again."

"You need to check your wording." Orion cautioned the man in a low, dangerous voice. "Because what you are referring to is not 'evil'. And I take great exception to your referring to it that way."

The man gave him an astonished look. "Not evil?" He stated. "Have you taken complete leave of your mind? This thing is nothing but evil. But we have learned how to control it. We have methods to deal with it properly."

Orion's gaze shifted for a split second from Heudros to the woman standing so complacently at his side, then back to the man before him. "Really?" He ask in a curious tone.

"It controls you, Mr. Black. Don't be deceived by its outward nature. It wants. It needs. It plots and plans for its own ends. And it uses you to do that."

Orion crossed his arms in front of him. "You don't seem to like it very well." He stated.

"It's a tool. And I use it as such." The man stated as though he were talking about something he had just taken out of his shed to trim bushes with.

"It's not a tool." Orion stated calmly. "It's not a thing. And it certainly isn't without feelings."

The man barked a laugh back at him. "You make it sound like a pet, Mr. Black."

Orion studied man past a long, hard gaze. "Try a friend."

"And that," the man stated menacingly as he pointed a long, thin finger at the Unspeakable, "is where you have made your mistake."

Orion only slowly shook his head. "No, Heudros." He replied flatly. "It's where you made yours."

The man gave him a long, slow smile. "Really? We shall see, Mr. Black. In the meantime, since each of you has seen fit to reject my offerings, perhaps we can settle this another way. You wish out of this castle, you shall have it." Heudros paused as his smile grew ever so slightly. "If you can earn it." The man turned to the woman next to him. "Becca."

Instantly the group watched the scene around them shift.

Gone were the walls and the ceiling. The stone floor and the rows of torches lighting their way. Instead they now stood in sunlight, fresh air filling their lungs for the first time in days.

Taking in the new surroundings, Orion quickly noted that they were standing before what appeared at first to be a large stage. But looking it over more closely he felt the platform likely had a more sinister use.

Heudros said they could earn their way out of the castle.

He felt fairly sure the platform had something to do with 'how'.

A few seconds later Heudros appeared in the center of the platform with Becca ever present at his side. But this time they were not alone. On his other side stood another woman, far taller than Becca with long black hair, dressed in a loose fitting pants and jacket.

"Now what?" Orion stated quietly.

**Q&A**

ilovesiriusblack:

**OK to set your mind at ease Treaks is definately not on the christmas card list lol, but I'm still not 100 convinced that Charley should be either. Jury's still out on that one.  
After reading your reviews I'm starting to worry about Moony. How long has this group been away for? When is the full moon?  
A showdown, finally! I can't wait to find out who wins! If I were a betting person, which I'm not, I think I'd put my money on Orion with a side bet that Bo and Becca won't keep out of it.  
Going back a lot, I'm still really confused as to who would have been able to get close enough to Harry when he was younger, as I imagine James, Lily and Sirius to be very overprotective, whoever it was, was definately playing the long game. How would they know that Harry was going to become important unless of course Lilly and James were already dead, and Sirius was in Azkaban.  
As always fantastic story and I can't wait for the next chapter!**

Now if you've been reading these things from long, long ago, you'd remember that we've had many a long, serious discussion on just whose side Charly is on. Everything he has done has, for he most part, not been self-serving. Charly was faced with the decision of watching someone with real potential, kill his friend, or do what he could to find a way to save him. That has always been, and still remains, Charly's goal. To keep Orion safe.

Actually, its been a lot shorter than you think. I know, due to the stories length, it seems they've been in the wizard's hold for possibly weeks. It has, however, in fact, only been a few days. If you count it out exactly, I believe it comes to about three days total.

The full moon is not an issue I am bringing into this story. Good heavens, it's long enough without adding more! I have, in fact, in the interest of time, deleted several chapters already. Hard, but necessary.

Oh, a showdown is most definitely coming. I keep saying this one thing; Becca isn't as complacent as she looks. She's possibly a bit more naive than is good for anyone, but she is most definitely not stupid. And Heudros has baited his own trap with her. He has strung her along with a whole web of lies which are slowly starting to surface. But the worst of them haven't come to light yet.

You're betting that Bo and Becca won't stay out of it? How can they? Orion is Bo's friend. He's highly unlikely to sit still while someone attacks his friend. and Becca simply does whatever Heudros tells her to do.

Unfortunately, you're asking a question here I can't really explain at this point because that is brought up later in the story. Hang in there and you will get your answer.

However, allow me to point something out here that people may not be aware of.

Keep in mind, this is a story arc of three parts. Family Life, Family Relations, and Family Ties. When I say 'later in the story', I am not referring to 'this' story. This story wraps up with what some people may feel are a few loose ends. All of which are tied up in the final arc of the over all story. The good news (?) is, Family Ties is the shortest of the three.

Skahducky:

**Well, I hope the following conversation will clear up a few matters at least. Please update soon!**

Me too.

Actually, I'm betting most peoples questions will be answered in the next chapter.

Silverfox:

**happily waggs tail at Moony**

**I don't think it was obvious as such, just suspicious. If he were a friendly or uninvolved wizard's familiar, Roland could have said so from the start. He had something to hide, though, so who's there on the other side? The rest was merely strong suspicion. He could of course have been the familiar of any of Heudros' followers. It just felt right that he'd be Heudros'.  
Well, I thought Roland might have put his morals over his comfort when he saw that what Heudros was doing was wrong. It's what I expected at least.  
No, no, I've given up on that one. I can't figure it out. Reminds me too much of those odd philosophical arguments where all I can ever figure out is that my definition of a word isn't the same as everybody else's, but not what they actually mean or think that I mean. I'm pretty sure I have a very basic concept very wron here.  
And here I thought Roland was trasferring a fear of Becca to Bo ... which was actually a consequence of my conclusion that they are alike, but they aren't ... gets dizzy from running in circles again**

Well, I never said the little snake didn't have a few things to hide.

Never said he was perfect, either.

But in Roland's defense, let's keep in mind that Heudros is a master at having you see exactly what he wants you to. After all, the man is a murderer many times over, but try and convince Becca of that. She is totally convinced that everything Orion and the group try to tell her are just vicious lies.

Actually, I think the problem is you're focusing on the wrong thing. Give it two more chapters, let the you-know-what hit the fan, then tell me if I was wrong.

Nope. Roland actually likes Becca. If nothing else, he feels sorry for her. He sees her as, just as he said, being nothing more to the others than 'used, abused, then refuse'.

I just really can't get into that last part without saying waaaaay too much than I should at this point.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Awesome chapter!! And the gang and Heudros meet finally!! **

And as Orion pointed out quite accurately, 'and a good time was not had by all'.

MasterLupin:

**Well, did Hudros design the castle then? If so is its function merely to occupy their time, or is something more sinister.  
I know it probably won't happen, but please have Harry just stab Hudros in the back and be done with it. It would be so awesome.**

Yes, he did.

It's function is not merely to occupy their time, slow them down, or distract them. In fact, give his choice, Heudros would not have had them find the castle at all. That was someone else's doing entirely.

Sinister? Hmmm..., that depends on how you look at it. Was it designed for some evil purpose? (PAR thinks long and hard.) Not really. But again, that depends on how you look at things.

Sorry. But once you get a larger look at all this man has been up to, I'm sure you'll agree a nice, quick death is way too good for him.

All reviews are as of 05/18/2007.

And remember;

I've got more issues than a magazine.


	69. Chapter 69

A/N: I must be having very boring weeks lately. Nothing much happening.

Just one quick thing though, that you may have been missing in this story. You'll note whenever Becca makes the reference 'my masters' it is sometimes in singular possessive, and sometimes plural. It's not a mistake on my part. There's a reason for that. It shows direct reference to who Becca is referring to at the time. Heudros, or the thirteen.

With that said,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

**CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR: THE ARENA**

"Since each of you saw fit to refuse my offers, I give each of you still the chance to win your freedom." Heudros stated. "Voldemort was the first to refuse, therefore he shall be the first to fight."

But it was Katlin who quickly stepped forward, staring up at the group on the platform with absolute hatred in her eyes. "More of your tricks." She hissed at the man, pointing an accusing finger at Heudros. "But that's all you are. A liar. Just as all of your 'gifts' were nothing more than well packaged lies."

If Katlin's words struck any nerve in Heudros, he didn't show it by so much as raising an eyebrow.

But they found an easy mark where Katlin had actually aimed her insults.

"You will be silent!" Becca stated, mirroring Katlin's actions as she stepped forward and stared down at the woman with as menacing a stare as she could manage. "You will not insult my master so!"

"Or what?" Katlin replied in a slow, drawn out voice. "You think I fear your master, girl? Think again. I have served Voldemort, Lord of the Deatheaters, nearly all my life. I have seen power, girl. And I have seen it used. Your great master and all of his minions would do well to fear Lord Voldemort. Not try his patience with stupid games."

Becca truly looked about as angry as the group had ever seen her as she focused her attention on the woman before her. "And you would do well to fear your betters, 'girl'."

Katlin folded her arms across her chest and casually looked about the area, then turned her attention back to Becca. "Where are they?" She ask plainly. "Unless..." Katlin quickly added, not giving the woman a chance to answer, "you think to mean your master and yourself? Surely not."

The woman pulled herself back up to her full height and crossed her own arms over her own chest as she stared down at Katlin with a superior air.

Katlin gave the woman a short, dismissive laugh. "Your master? Lord Voldemort's better? I think not. A man so impotent, he can not even deal with us himself? One who has sent a pathetic guard the likes of you to try and stop us all these times? A servant who has, for each and every time her master has sent her to accomplish such a simple task, failed."

"Hold your tongue!" The woman stated. "How dare you malign my master's minions, and directly one of his highest ranked servants?! You would do well to curb that tongue of yours before you think to insult me again."

Katlin gave the woman a condescending smile. "Or you'll do what, little witch?"

"Or I will teach you."

Katlin's smile only grew that much more insulting, along with her tone. "You are welcome to try."

"Your words are a challenge." Becca stated formally as she pulled back slightly on the platform. A light instantly enveloped Katlin. A second later she stood before Becca on the platform. "You have the right to defend your statement. You are the one who issued the challenge. I, as the object of your insult, am the one who accepts it."

Katlin gave the woman a bored look. "I am not fighting for something as meaningless to me as your honor or that of your master, little witch. If you want a fight, you must make it worth my while."

"Then name your prize." Becca replied, her voice echoing her eagerness to get on with the matter.

"If I defeat you, we are free to leave this castle, all of us," Katlin emphasized, "with no further interference from you." She added, turning her attention to Heudros.

Becca seemed to pause for a moment, then turned briefly to Heudros over her shoulder. The man gave no verbal answer, but Becca seemed to get one nonetheless. "Agreed." She stated.

To Orion, watching the proceedings, Heudros and his servant had seemed so utterly confident in the outcome of the contest that neither was really overly interested in Katlin's terms.

"Bo." He called softly.

Instantly a small black cat appeared at Orion's feet, wrapping itself about them as it purred its contentment.

Orion turned briefly to the small animal that no one else seemed to take the slightest notice of. "Bo, things could get sticky here. I want you to go get ready like I told you, all right? In case I need you."

The little cat just as quickly disappeared as Orion turned back to see what Katlin was up to.

"Very well, then." Katlin had answered. "What are our weapons? Or do I get the pleasure of beating you to death with my bare hands?"

The woman gave Katlin a small, disdainful smile. "I have only one weapon." She replied. Stepping aside, she gestured to the woman standing next to Heudros. "Katrina is my choice of weapons. She will fight in my stead."

Katlin showed no opinion of the change in opponents in the least, Instead she simply slipped off her cloak and turned to hand it to her husband.

Catching hold of it, Orion quickly pulled her to him. "Katlin, what are you doing?"

Katlin turned sharply back to him. "Teaching this bastard a lesson. One I have waited more than half my life to give him."

Orion started up at his wife as she dropped the cloak into his arms. Again he could feel the hatred rolling off of her in waves.

This had nothing to do with a petty game of name calling. This was something deeply personal to her. Something she had orchestrated the entire exchange just to get a chance at.

Despite the confidence in her words, Katlin entered the arena cautiously, never taking her eyes off her opponent. She wasn't sure what the rules were, or how the fight would begin. And apparently the woman wasn't offering any explanations as she stood silently waiting.

As soon as Katlin assumed a position opposite the woman in the furthest corner of the platform, the woman pulled her wand out.

"Begin." She stated firmly, following the statement with a spell that shot directly at Katlin.

Katlin already had her wand out by the time the woman fired the spell at her. Immediately it lengthened into her most familiar fighting tool and she deftly deflected the spell with one end of the pole.

As the fight progressed, the tide turned a number of times. But it seemed that no sooner would Katlin gain the advantage than the woman would snatch it away from her again and again. As Orion watched, he likened the fight to a game of 'cat and mouse'. The woman seemed to let Katlin gain the advantage without much attention to it one way or the other, then just as effortlessly took it back, all the while letting Katlin build up her strength, only to exhaust herself again trying to hold the ground she had gained each time.

As the fight continued, it was becoming equally clear to each of the members of the group that Katlin was not holding her own as well as she had implied she would. And it was becoming more and more apparent that she was getting fatigued while the other woman appeared to hardly be straining herself at all. Something that Orion felt was the other woman's objective all along. To wear her opponent down before delivering the final strike.

"What's going on?" A voice whispered in Harry's ear.

Harry turned just in time to see that Roland had woken up and had stuck his head out of the hood of Harry's cloak. Harry never knew a snake could look so blurred eyed upon waking.

"Katlin is fighting one of the followers of the wizard." He replied. "But things don't look like they're going very well."

Roland looked over Harry's shoulder. "Oh, they wouldn't be." He replied. "That's Katrina. She is fifth in line to the master."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing good for your friend. Those who are the first ten in line below the original thirteen under the master can draw power from him. Your friend might as well be fighting Heudros himself."

A hand suddenly reached out a grabbed Roland by the throat and yanked him out of the protective cocoon of Harry's hood.

The little snake suddenly found himself eye to eye with Voldemort.

"What are you talking about!?" He hissed at the little snake. "They're cheating?!"

"Omitting through ignorance is more like it." Roland replied. "Point being, you never ask."

"So Katlin will most likely lose the fight?"

"I wouldn't be betting on her. No." Roland replied.

Voldemort glanced up to see how things were going in the arena. Katlin had just managed to move to the side to avoid a spell while firing off one of her own that the woman easily deflected.

"Surely we can do something." Voldemort asked.

"Doubt it." Roland answered bluntly.

Another hand reached out and wrapped itself around the little snake, deftly taking him from Voldemort's grasp. If Roland thought he had been saved, he quickly changed his mind as he came face to face with one very agitated Auror.

"And you know everything there is to know about Heudros and his followers. So tell me how Katlin can beat this woman." Orion stated in a slow, even tone.

Roland swallowed with some difficulty as he stared back at the man. "I do wish you would stop putting me in these positions." He stated.

"Positions?"

"What do you think Heudros will do to me if he finds out I tipped the scales against his champion by giving you information he didn't want you to have in the first place?"

"Your previous comment sounded to me like Heudros is cheating anyway." Orion replied, his tone never changing in the least.

"I never said that. And you never heard it from m..."

Roland found himself suddenly grabbed away from the Auror by two fingers on either side of his head. But as he turned to face his new inquisitor, he found that Voldemort wasn't staring at him, but at the Unspeakable.

"Really, Mr. Black," the dark lord drawled out, "you Unspeakables are the most ineffective people at getting information I have ever had the unfortunate pleasure to be acquainted with." A small smile crept across the man's lips. "Allow me to show you how it's done."

Slowly Voldemort shifted his stare, now as hard and cold as stone, to the little snake. "Understand," he stated in a low tone that left no question to the man's feelings on the matter, "that that woman out there is far more important to me than you will ever hope to be. Therefore, if you have information that could help us help her, here are your choices; you can tell me and live, or continue to refuse, in which case you are useless to me and you will die."

"Well," Roland answered past a strained, choked voice, "your choices are certainly an improvement over Heudros'. His are usually tell him and still die."

Harry stepped over to where Voldemort was.

"Roland," he added quickly, "Katlin saved your life back when we first found you. She didn't know you. She didn't ask if we should or not. She just did. Now, she needs your help. Please, if you know something that can help her, tell us."

The snake considered Harry's words for a few seconds before turning back to Voldemort. "The kid has a better point than the two of you put together." He replied, turning briefly in turn to Orion.

"Does that mean you'll help?" Orion ask.

"It means I'll tell you this." Roland answered. "Your friend might be doing better if she didn't display her own disadvantage so clearly."

"Her disadvantage?"

"She growing tired." Roland replied. "Katrina can see that as clearly as day. While she herself hides her own injury much better."

The hand around Roland's neck tightened slightly. "Injury?" Voldemort ask in a tense, none-to-patient voice.

Roland squirmed slightly in the hold.

"He can't talk if you're choking the air out of him." Harry stated, quickly reaching out and rescuing the little snake as he carefully pried him out of Voldemort's grip and held him instead in open hands so Roland felt less threatened.

After coughing several times, the little snake turned a decidedly nasty look back to Voldemort.

"If you bothered to use your senses," Roland spit at him, "you could very clearly smell it." He bobbed his head once towards the arena. "Katrina has an injury to her left side." The little snake tasted the air with his tongue a few times. "A cut, a few days old at best. She's covering it well, but nursing it nonetheless. You can see in how she fights that she is protecting her left side diligently."

"There has to be a way to let Katlin know." Voldemort stated. "That could be just enough to give her an advantage."

Orion suddenly stood next to Voldemort, a much better advantage point to being in Katlin's sights. " I'll tell her what she needs to know."

"How?"

"Just watch." He stated quietly.

Voldemort did. He kept switching his gaze between Orion and Katlin, but for the life of him didn't see how any communication was going on at all. The only indication anything at all was amiss was that Katlin's attention seemed divided between the fight and where they were standing. But something definitely got through, since in a flash, Katlin switched her tactics, going from defense to offense and bringing the fight into closer quarters. Without giving the other woman time to figure out the new strategy and adapting an adequate defense for it, with a sudden turn, Katlin brought her pole about with lightening speed, deflecting an attempt by her opponent to land a damaging blow and slammed the end of wooden staff hard enough into Katrina's side that Harry was sure he heard something snap.

The woman went down with the first blow and didn't even attempt to get up again.

The room fell instantly silent.

Katlin stood over her with one end of the pole pointed down at her fallen opponent. Shifting part of her attention back to where Becca stood next to Heudros, she issued her terms.

"Accept defeat, little witch." she stated. "Or she dies."

Becca looked absolutely amazed at the defeat of her champion, but Heudros seemed to take the outcome of the fight in his usual stride.

As Katlin stood over the woman still, her opponent suddenly vanished in a blaze of light.

Pulling back, none of her anger seeming to have diminished in the fight, she immediately turned her attention to the two others on the platform.

"Whose next?" She ask.

Heudros stepped forward with a determined look. "There is no 'next', Ms. Griss. We had an arrangement. The terms have been met. You and your companions are free to go with no further interference."

Katlin relaxed her stance slightly, but not completely, staying partially on guard while she gave herself time to recover her overall composure. But eventually she stepped back to the edge of the platform and accepted Orion's assistance getting back down to solid ground again. Turning back to Heudros, she waited expectantly with the others as they all stood watching the man expectantly.

"Well?" Katlin ask finally, breaking the silent standoff.

"Well what?" He ask, barely hiding the smirk on his face.

"You said we were free to go." Katlin stated slowly.

Heudros held up a finger. "Actually, Ms. Griss, what was agreed upon, and I believe I quote you verbatim on this, is 'we are free to leave this castle, all of us, with no further interference from you'. And so are you free to leave. And I shall not interfere." The smirk had grown to a full smile now.

"The understanding was you would send us out of this place." Katlin replied in a low, dangerous tone.

"The understanding was I would not interfere with your leaving." Heudros replied. "And you are free to leave...if you can find your way out."

Orion stepped purposefully forward from where he had stood with one protective, if not restraining, arm around his wife's waist. The man looked as mad as any in the group had seen him to this point.

"I have had enough of your games, Heudros." He stated in a tone that bordered on threatening murder. "Bo!"

Heudros instantly pulled back, taking up a position behind his servant. "Becca!"

Instantly Becca came to the foreground, stationing herself determinately between Orion and her master.

At the same time, the boggart instantly materialized next to Orion.

Orion gave the man on the platform a positively triumphant look. "Bo." He said quietly, never once looking at the boggart beside him. "Destroy the castle."

**Q&A**

Elle's Bells:

**I've spent my first week of summer holiday reading your stories. You do not disappoint! Update soon please ;)**

Ohhhhhh! Such a worthwhile endeavor. Thank you , Dear. And I try not to disappoint my readers. Please feel free to also check out my Dresden Files entries.

MasterLupin:

**Well he wouldn't die fast if stabbed in the back. Considering Harry's height if he stabbed Hudros, in order to get through the rib cadge, it would be more necessary to thrust the blade. Which would penetrate a lung, resulting in a slow painful death of drowning in your own body fluid. If the blade went in deep enough it might puncture the hart, in turn leading to slowly bleeding to death compounded with the punctured lung. Thus the death would be far from painless, or quick. I'm a med student by the way, not some deranged psychopath who would know that.  
Anyway with the stage that has appeared, I think it is a duel to the death with one possibly more people of the circle we saw several chapters ago.**

Well, actually, the deciding factor here would be just how deep the puncture wound was and with what sort of knife. I mean, consider if you only nicked the lung, as opposed to an actual viable wound. And it would make a considerable difference if the knife was say, a nice sharp surgical scalpel quality or something like a fish cleaning blade. Nasty tear wounds they make (purely so I've heard). But mind, if the wound was small enough not to go with too much notice, say a small puncture wound, but deep enough to get to a lung or other vital organ, and start a nice bleeder but without too much actual pain, by the time the person took notice, they would be in a bad way indeed. (One-time dental student. I could probable do a lot better with a nice murder by teeth. Rip out someone's juggler or something.)

Hmmm..., med-student. Now why am I not the least bit surprised by that? But do me a favor, Dear. Do shine above your fellow students and try to stay awake during the 'Bed-side manner' course. It seems to me in this day and age of medical care, most doctors slept right though it.

Snow Baby:

**Between Katlin and Bo I am hard pressed to say which one I like more... even if they are pretty much exact opposites. :) **

**Can I reach through my screen and give Becca a good shake? Here she says how all powerful Heudros is but yet somehow his 'people' captured Voldemort, tortured him, locked him in a cell and Heudros never knew about it till it was all over?  
Reaches in to poke Becca with a spork.  
Wonderful chapter.  
P.S. Sorry I am not one to usually comment on stories so I am far from the best at it. The best I got is that I liked the story well enough to do something besides lurk ;)**  
**Cheers!!**

Well now, that's one I haven't heard before. Someone placing Katlin and Bo up for favorite character role. Most people just throw their coins at Bo and be done with it. I don't get a lot of comment on Katlin for some reason. And as a character, I like her a great deal. She's nice and complicated and offers up lots of good story material. Mostly, what would happen if Voldemort ever found out that his favorite Elite was married, and to who.

True, you can't get to further ends of the personality scale than Katlin and Bo. Most prominent on the list of characteristics is the fact that Bo probably couldn't commit an honest act of violence if you spelled it out for him and gave him a cue card with instructions on it, while for Katlin it's just a problem solving tool.

Man! And people call poor Becca gullible? Dear! You honestly believed the man?! So sorry, no. No poking allowed on this one. (Fends off spork.)

Well, this story has some 23,000 hits, Dear, but only some 300 reviews. Who am I to criticize someone who takes the time to be kind enough to review? And such a nice review it was. Thank you. I am honored you decided not to just 'lurk' in my story's case.

Silverfox:

**That's the result of all Heudros' studying of his opponents? Pathetic. He ought to at the very least have figured out that Voldemoer won't follow him by now. And was that a: "Please let me take all your power and go home." I heard him say to Orion?**

Why wouldn't he think that? He thought Harry would give up Voldemort, as well as Arabella, and that Lupin and Katlin would take his offers as well. And last but not least, he was just as confident Orion would give up his friend without a thought. It speaks volumes for the man and how he views relationships.

You know, Fox, I'm well aware there was a certain note of sarcasm in that last comment, but I wonder, do you realize just how close you are to the truth there? Minus the 'please'. First of all in what Heudros is really up to and secondly, who his real target in all of this is.

skahducky:

**What was the point of those offers? Heudros must have known that they were unlikely to accept. Even if he has the power to do such things (which I doubt he does), then the group clearly doesn't trust him enough to believe he does. What's up with the stage?  
On a slightly off topic note, has Orion ever seen Katlin without her glamour on?  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!**

The point of the offers? To get rid of Harry and the others.

Did Heudros know the members were each unlikely to accept them? No. In fact, he was counting on it for a lot of reasons. Number one on his list, if the others accepted, Orion would too.

And consider what was he offering them. The thing he thought they each most wanted, the way he saw things. Heudros was studying each of them. His only problem was he didn't do a very thorough job of it. He simply took the easy way around, placed each person's highest value on some personal, physically obtainable thing, and went with that. He never considered the moral values of each person he made the offer to, if he thought they had any at all. (Hard to see in others what you lack in yourself sometimes.)

Does Heudros have the power to make good on those offers? Welllll..., sort of. Let me put it this way; he believes he does. Does that mean he actually does? That's hard to say, since the limits of Heudros' 'abilities' have never been actually tested. Will they ever be? In a manner of speaking, yes. The problem is, your looking down a very deep well without a flashlight thinking, 'hmmmm..., I wonder how deep this thing is?' You could throw a stone down it and listen to see if it hits bottom, but you're taking a risk in that it may be so far down to the bottom you'd never hear the stone hit the bottom, and then you've lost your stone in the process.

The point is, yes, you could find out. But there's a tremendous amount of danger in doing so, and in the end, you're probably going to come out it worse off than you went in.

Now, does the group trust him? On different levels, yes and no. Do they trust he'll give them what he promises? No. Do they trust that he can deliver what he promises? Most of them, sort of...but their skeptical. One member of the group, however, believes that Heudros can truly deliver what he offers each of them. And that is Orion.

I do love this last question.

Yup. Enemies, Chapter Forty-Nine C (by my chapter count, not FFN's). Orion was pushing for Katlin to marry him and she pushed back the only way she knew how. She believed if he ever saw her the way she truly is, he would never want her as his wife. She wanted to try and dissuade him, but she also wanted to be honest with him.

However, the reason I love this question so much is it gives me a chance to point something out I think is a fairly common misconception. What Katlin wears is a bit more than your standard Glamour spell. Think of it more as a Glamour spell with a kick. Katlin was very badly burned in the fire that destroyed her home. So badly that her body was nearly 100 per cent burned. Few people even survive such a trauma. And without Voldemort's help and her own natural healing abilities, she likely wouldn't have. What Voldemort did for her was to fashion a spell, built off of a Glamour spell, that doesn't just conceal her physical appearance, but physically alters it. When Katlin changes her appearance, she isn't just putting up an illusion, or even just making a real, physical change (depending on your view of what a Glamour spell does). It goes much deeper than that. She is physically becoming what you see, inside and out. When in her real state, Katlin is barely able to do much of anything. She can't walk, she has no ability to use her hands, she can hardly speak, she can barely see, and she's in incredible, constant pain. With the spell in place, she's the picture of health (with one small exception, also pointed out in Enemies by Aaron Richards).

Now, granted, such a powerful spell should be easy to pick up on. But over the years Katlin has learned how to work with the spell. She can dampen it's 'aura' until only the most sensitive people can feel it. This is the reason no one else at Lawrence Oliver's party in Enemies noticed the spell but the aged Auror himself, and why the only other person ever to pick up on it...was Bo.

Blanca Rosa:

**Hello! I loved this chapter since it cleared up a lot of things. However, why hasn't Katlin metioned that Charly is the spy? If I recall when Voldemort originally calls her to where they are in a cage, the man she seduces mentions Charly. Was she too occupied to put any attention to the name? Just curious Bye!**

WOW! Someone was paying attention back then!

There are several reasons for the deletion of that piece of information on Katlin's part. The most prominent one being; how many people in England do you think are named 'Charly'? So, did she notice the name? Yes. Did she think much of it 'at the time'? No. Also, even if she was suspicious about the mention of the name, Charly is Orion's best friend. Why would she think for a minute he betrayed not only his best friend, but his job, his department, his fellow agents, and the opportunity to be a card carrying wizard? For what? To kiss someone else's asterisk? Small pay off.

So at this point, no, she is no even the least bit suspicious.

ilovesiriusblack:

**I definately don't think that it is good news that family ties is going to be a short story, I really love reading them! Ok back to the story at hand, wow Heudros is offering a lot! Is he basically making this up or is he really that powerful? If he is that powerful I'm thinking Orion may get his butt kicked, either that or he has been holding out on the rest of the group. Also can you refresh my memmory on what secret Harry is acctually keeping because I think i'm getting confused. I have one question regarding your response to Master Lupin, 'Who's doing was it to take them to the castle? and why didn't Heudros kick them out straight away if he didn't want them there?' Ok so that is technically 2 questions but please don't hold that against me, as ever awesome chapter and looking forward to the next one.**

Well, I'm glad someone is disappointed, Dear.

For the answer to that first question, go see Skahducky's answer. I'm really not up to typing that all again, Dear. Have mercy.

OK, to the second part, let me point out a few things. Is Orion going to get his butt kicked? I can't answer that. It's a large part of the story.

Has he been holding out on the group? Of course he has! There is no way in heaven Orion is going to 'show off' in front of Voldemort the actual amount of power he can yield. If he did, Voldemort would most likely immediately begin spending a large portion of his free time trying to figure out new and interesting ways to separate Mr. Black from his favorite boggart.

Harry's 'secret' is simply to act as sort of a gate to Heudros. Technically, he's not a 'secretkeeper' in the truest sense of the word. But he serves something of the same general function. Without Harry, no one could find Heudros unless Heudros himself wanted them to. It's like the summary to this story says; 'What if Harry wasn't the one who could destroy Voldemort, but was the key to the person who could?' And that's just what he is, a key.

Ohhhhh...I would never hold that against you, Dear. Mostly because they are both very good questions. But complicated ones as well. I'll try to answer them without giving too much of the story away.

Now, who's doing was it to take them to the castle? Two questions there, really. One, who wanted them at the castle? Well, sort of Heudros, to a point. He wanted them somewhere he could control them better.

Now, second question, who actually 'brought' them to the castle? Becca.

Why didn't Heudros kick them out straight away if he didn't want them there? Because once they were there, he decided the damage was done and it was as good a place as any to hold them while he decided what to do with them.

CelticHeiressFiona:

**Great chapter. **

Thank you, Dear.

All reviews are as of 05/26/2007.

And remember;

My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.


	70. Chapter 70

A/N: Sorry about last weekend, folks. My computer had a bit of a nervous breakdown. Ended up having to replace the hard drive. No simple task in a 12+ year old computer running Windows 98SE. But the guys at the computer shop still love her. They get all nostalgic whenever I bring her in and start reminiscing about the good old days.

But my computer is better now with a semi-brand new hard drive. So hopefully there will be no more delays and I will beat Rowling's release date.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

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CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE: AND THEN THERE WERE SEVEN

"No!"

The tone in Heudros' cry was pure desperation.

Orion held up a hand, staying any action on Bo's part. Though the boggart's response to the signal was much as it was to the command. He simply hovered near his channeler, not moving.

But Heudros seemed to be displaying enough reaction for the entire group. Red-faced and barely holding himself in check, he turned his anger on the Unspeakable.

"Do you have any idea what you nearly did?"

"'Nearly' is still on optional word here." Orion replied calmly.

Heudros seemed to all but ignore him. "You haven't the vaguest idea what this castle even is! Much less what could happen if you'd destroyed it."

"Actually, I have a very good idea what it is." Orion replied in the same benign tone. "In fact, Heudros, I've got quite a few ideas about what's going on here." His attention shifted ever so slightly to the woman standing beside Heudros, then back to him. "Maybe you'd like to hear a few of them?" The Unspeakable offered with a smile that didn't convey one ounce of warmth. If anything, it served itself up as an unabashed threat.

The man looked as close to losing it as he ever had. Whatever struggle he was having with himself, it was a formidable one. And Orion was pretty sure it was bent between two very powerful desires that Heudros had. One to kill him, and the other self-preservation.

And as always, self-preservation won out.

"Becca!" The man stated through clenched teeth, never taking a stare that promised the contest was far from over off the man before him. "Remove these fleas from my presence. They have become an annoyance."

The woman looked utterly stunned at the order. "But, master..."

Apparently the last thing Heudros wanted right at that moment was to have any of his orders further questioned. "I did not ask an opinion from you, girl!" He all but shouted at her. "Just do as you are told, you worthless creature!"

The woman positively cringed under the verbal assault.

But true to form, she recovered herself completely before she turned to face the group.

"You are truly fortunate to be alive." She informed them in her usual calm tone, that this time held a slight hint of anger just the same. "You have pushed my master's patience and generosity to the limits. Count yourselves fortunate that all he has done is banished you from his presence."

With her final words, the group suddenly found themselves standing once again in the forest.

Voldemort looked about as he took a few steps away from the others. "Well done, Mr. Black." He stated, turning back to them. "You do seem to have a rather unique style, but it does appear to get things accomplished."

"It accomplishes getting someone reallllly pissed off who you don't want to ever do that to." Came a familiar voice from Harry's hood.

Orion turned to the little snake, who was just poking his head out of his cocoon. "Meaning?"

"What do you think?" Roland ask, turning his attention to the Unspeakable. "Heudros is just going to wave bye-bye and let you walk off into the sunset? Are you honestly that gullible?"

"You mean he'll send people after us." Orion stated.

Roland stared at the man for a few seconds. "No." He finally stated flatly "I mean why don't you stick around and see what sort of wonderful send-off party Heudros is planning for you even as we speak?"

Orion turned to the others. "Time to move." He instructed. "Roland, what's the best direction?"

The little snake looked uncertain. "Anywhere away from here."

"That's not much help."

"I didn't go outside." He reminded the Unspeakable. "'Not popular'. Remember? Going outside had a huge potential for getting me killed if the other snakes caught me."

Orion quickly turned to Harry. "OK. It's up to you, Harry. What direction is the strongest pull?"

Harry stood for a moment, centering on the same feeling that had guided them to the castle. Finally he pointed behind them. "There."

Orion quickly led the way off in the opposite direction.

"Wait a minute!" Katlin questioned. "If Harry said Heudros is behind us, why head off this way?"

"Because I don't want to find him right now." Orion replied. "I think its better to put some distance between us right now, until we have a better plan of how to deal with him. Plus, we're in no shape to deal with the Unwelcoming Committee that Roland seems to think Heudros will send after us."

"It's not a supposition." Came the little snake's voice from back inside the sweater's hood. "It's a statement of fact. Heudros hates to lose. And he really hates being humiliated at the same time he's losing. You, Mr. Black," Roland added, sticking his head out once again, "managed to do both. Congratulations."

"It's a talent." Orion stated.

"How wonderful for you." Roland drawled. "Your mother must be very proud. But do the rest of us a favor and exercise it a little less."

Orion ignored the comment and instead headed off in the direction that hopefully would take them away from Heudros for the time being.

It didn't take long for Roland's prediction to prove itself, however.

After only a few minutes of moving quickly through the trees, Orion brought the group to an abrupt halt as he waved for them to be quiet.

Listening intently, he suddenly had them on the move again, increasing the pace as much as he could.

"Company behind us." He informed them as they ran on. "And not that far back either." Orion turned to Lupin. "Keep a watch out for any movement behind us. They may have sent advanced scouts. Not more than two or three, operating independently."

Lupin quickly dropped back, understanding the part of rear guard now assigned to him.

Falling to his animagus form, the wolf quickly darted into the trees next to them and disappeared.

As they ran, Voldemort led the way through the trees. Just behind him Orion held tightly onto Katlin's hand, guiding her after him. After them Arabella helped Harry keep pace with them and, further back, still in his animagus form, Lupin brought up the rear, constantly keeping watch behind them.

Ahead of him, Harry watched as a black cloaked figure seemed to practically hover around Orion, never moving very far from him. That seemed to him to be the way it was with the boggart. He was always close to Orion. Never wanting, it seemed, to lose sight of him. Occasionally the figure would dart back towards the others, slipping in between them, apparently making a spot check of the group, then quickly returning to Orion's side. To Harry the boggart was more of a ghost. Even though he moved freely around them, Harry found that if he didn't actually look for the boggart, he had no idea he was there.

As Orion ran on, he suddenly felt a tug on the hand he held tightly onto. He slowed for a moment as he turned to Katlin.

"Love?"

Katlin stumbled after him a few steps, her hand wrapped about the back of her left shoulder.

"It's nothing." She said, starting after him again. "I thought...I felt somethin..." But she suddenly stopped, pulling Orion to a halt as her hand pulled loose from his grip.

"Katlin?"

Katlin turned to him from staring at her hand.

Orion grabbed her hand and held it up. A small spot of blood wet the finger tips.

"Katlin!" He could already see her vision clouding over as she stared up at him.

"Orion, I..." But she never finished as she suddenly collapsed into his arms.

"Katlin!" Orion quickly lowered her to the ground as the others came back to them. Orion hurriedly caught his ever present shadow by the arm. "Bo!" He stated firmly, directing the boggart's attention solely on him. "Protect."

The boggart seemed to hesitate for a few seconds as it stared down at Orion, but then obediently disappeared.

"What is it!?" Voldemort demanded, leaning over Orion's shoulder as he watched his Elite slip into convulsions.

Arabella joined Orion on the woman's other side.

"What happened to her, Orion?"

Orion was already running his fingers across her back. That was where Katlin had had her hand. Where she had gotten the blood.

"She said she felt something..." Orion suddenly pulled her up and pushed the long auburn hair away from her back. He hastily tore the fabric of her robes back, as well as the material of the shirt underneath. Tracing his fingertips over her bare skin, he quickly found the small object, like the point of a dart, still lodged in her shoulder.

Orion carefully worked the object free and passed it to Voldemort.

"Tell me what you can about that."

Just as Voldemort took the object from Orion, a human scream echoed through the woods behind them.

"That should keep them busy for a while." Orion muttered.

Voldemort quickly cast a spell on the small object, then another, and another.

Orion turned to him in irritation.

"What's taking you so long? It's a simple matter of identifying..."

"It's not magic." Voldemort replied quickly as he cast another spell on the small object in his palm. "This is a simple potion. A poison." He quickly corrected.

Orion turned to him. "A poison? What poison?"

But his attention quickly shifted back to Katlin as another seizure suddenly gripped her and she froze in his arms, her whole body going ridged. But even as it eased, she started to convulse again.

Orion turned sharply to Voldemort.   
"She's dieing! Now what poison?! What is it?!"

Voldemort stood for a second starting down at Katlin.

"I don't know." He whispered.

Arabella jumped to her feet and seized him by the shoulders. "Sirius!" She yelled at him. "Sirius may know. He knows poisons better than any of us. He studied them as an Auror. He may be able to help her!"

Voldemort hesitated as he stared down at Katlin. Her breathing was becoming more and more labored, as though she were gasping for air, and her grip on Orion's hand had it turning white.

"Don't you let her die!" Orion stated at the man through clenched teeth. "Let Sirius help her if he can."

Arabella turned the man's attention back to her when he still hesitated.

"Please." She whispered to him. "Sirius may be able to save her. But her time is running out. Let him try."

Voldemort paused for a second more, then suddenly closed his eyes. Arabella could feel the body under her hands shift slightly, as though it were momentarily loosing its balance. But when the eyes opened again, a slightly confused stared met her's.

"Sirius?"

Sirius took a brief look around him. But his eyes quickly settled on Katlin. Immediately he slipped to her other side, kneeling by her as he felt for her pulse.

"Do you know what's happened?" Orion asked his brother.

Sirius nodded. "Most...most of it. She was...hit by a dart. Poisoned." His voice came out stilted. As though he were having trouble remembering the right words. He quickly opened his right hand were the dart was still held. He quickly cast a spell over the small object without any results. He tried another, then several more.

All the while Katlin lay now quietly in Orion's arms. Her breathing was no longer labored, but was slower than normal. And the seizures had stopped.

Orion cast a worried glance at his brother.

"Sirius?"

Sirius looked like he was trying very hard to remember something as he stared at the dart in his hand.

"It's...more difficult...to remember things this time. Spells...charms...something that could identify this poison."

"Well try harder!" Orion nearly yelled at him.

Arabella stepped behind Orion and laid her hands on his shoulders as she crouched down next to him.

"He's trying, Orion." She said softly. "Give him time."

Orion turned his attention back to Katlin, holding her closely to him as he whispered for her to please hold on.

Sirius sat studying the small object lying in his palm. But abruptly his expression brightened and he quickly spoke a spell. The small object suddenly glowed under the influence of the spell.

Orion looked up. "What?"

"Pelic."

"Pelic?"

"It's fairly common. And fortunately not very sophisticated." Sirius got to his feet. "Stay with her. Harry. Arabella."

Harry and his godmother quickly joined Sirius as he headed off into the trees, talking quickly to them as they went.

A few minutes later they returned with a few leaves, which Sirius laid over a small flat rock.

"Fortunately, the poison is very slow in infecting its victim. We can likely still draw a considerable amount out of the wound site itself, and then use some Balsom weed to try and neutralize what's in her blood already. Hold her up. I'll to get to the site where the poison went in." Sirius quickly looked around him. "And I need a knife. Or anything sharp."

No one answered, but Orion was quickly digging in Katlin's robes. Quite suddenly he smiled briefly as he pulled out a fairly large, thin bladed knife. "Woman never goes anywhere without this thing...thank God."

"Dare one asked 'why'?" Sirius asked as he took the knife from his brother.

Orion shrugged. "Keepsake."

Sirius tested the blade. "It's sharp. That's good." He turned back to Orion. "Get in front of her and hold her still. And put something in her mouth."

"Like what?"

But Arabella had already pulled a small piece of cloth out of her robes and, rolling it up, handed it to Orion.

"Put it between her teeth." She advised.

For her part, Katlin seemed to barely acknowledge what was going on, but she obediently held the cloth Orion put between her teeth in place.

"Now hold her tight." Sirius told his brother. "The cut has to be deep."

Orion watched Sirius put the tip of the blade against Katlin's shoulder. Immediately he tightened his grip on her.

The next thing Orion heard was a muffled, but none the less ear-splitting shriek delivered nearly right into his ear as Katlin howled in pain behind the cloth. But nonetheless she kept it gripped tightly between her teeth.

Orion closed his eyes. He didn't need to see what Sirius was doing to know what was happening. He could imagine the feel the blade cutting against his own skin as Katlin screamed again, this time lowering her face into his shoulder as she howled for all she was worth.

Orion wrapped a hand about the back of her head and held her in a tight but gentle embrace as Sirius continued.

One last cut and Sirius stopped. Handing the blood covered knife to Arabella, he told her to clean it, then use it to cut up the leaves as best she could.

In the meantime, he placed his mouth over the wound and began sucking blood from it, drawing as deeply as he could from it to try and get as much of the poison out as possible.

Orion felt Katlin press her face deeper into his shoulder, but she only whimpered slightly this time. Turning his lips against her ear, he whispered a few words to her softly, all the while stroking her hair and back. The auburn covered head nodded slightly under his ministrations, then went still again.

After spitting out several mouthfuls of blood, Sirius took the leaves as Arabella handed them to him. He rubbed them into his palm with his fingers, then pushed the leaves into the open wound.

Katlin pulled up slightly for each time Sirius pressed a new clump of the leaves into the wound. But finally he stopped and she relaxed in Orion's arms as he gently whispered something to her again. Slowly he reached around and carefully pulled the cloth out of her mouth. Reaching into his robes, he pulled a small flask out and, unscrewing the lid, placed it to her lips.

Katlin took a small draw off the flask, then abruptly sputtered over it and began to cough. She managed a slight laugh as she said something to Orion, who smiled at her as he agreed.

Sirius eyed the flask.

"Tell me that's alcohol." He said.

"Scotch, actually." Orion replied. "Apparently someone foolishly thought I was carrying water in a whiskey flask."

Katlin gave a soft, dulled laugh as she buried her face back in Orion's shoulder and shook her head once more.

Sirius reached over and took it from his brother's grasp.

"We can use that to sterilize the wound. Keep any infection from setting in."

Orion pressed his lips back to Katlin's ear. "And you said my drinking was a bad thing."

Katlin gave another soft, half-hearted laugh. But it quickly changed to a hiss as she drew a sharp breath in between clenched teeth as Sirius dampened the cloth down with the alcohol and pressed it to the wound.

"She'll need to rest until at least morning. Longer if we can." He advised. "If there was any poison left in the wound and she keeps moving, it'll only help it spread. And she's lost a good pint of blood. She's bound to feel that."

Orion got to his feet with Katlin in his arms and started off once again through the trees. "We can't stay out here in the open. We need to try and find somewhere safe where we can rest for a short while."

But a sudden scream that tore through the woods behind them stopped Orion cold in his tracks.

There had been echoes of screams all through the time Sirius was working to help Katlin, evidence of the boggart doing his part to try and slow down their pursuers.

But this scream was unlike any of the others. It was higher pitched than an adult human's, and wasn't as clearly defined.

Orion was the one who reacted to it first, fear and disbelief in his expression as he breathed one word into the cold night air.

"Bo?"

Orion quickly turned towards the sound with Katlin still in his arms. "Bo?" He called again, a good deal louder this time. "Bo!"

But as he started back, a hand seized his shoulder. Turning about, Orion met his brother's eyes.

"We can't." He said softly. "We have to get to safety. Some place to hide."

Orion met his brother's eyes with a hard stare. "But that was Bo." He stated firmly. "Something's happened to him."

"And they'll come for us next." Sirius repeated just as firmly.

Orion stared back at his younger brother, then slowly turned to the woman in his arms. Cold and pale, Katlin hadn't made a sound or a move in the past few moments. Instead she had simply laid in his arms, her breathing the only sign of life coming from her still.

Turning once more to where the scream had come from, Orion finally turned in the opposite direction and started off, forcing each step that took him further and further away from his friend.

After a half hour of careful evasion of their pursuers, the group finally managed to find a small cave in the side of a hill. Going in first, Sirius scouted it for any danger, then ushered the others in.

Once inside, Sirius and Lupin quickly set up a blind of branches, sticks, and cloaks over the entrance that effectively shut out any light from being seen from the outside. Orion had banned them from using any long term magic since it would likely only serve as little more than a beacon for Becca if she were with the others looking for them.

Inside the cave, Orion quickly set about gathering a small pile of stones together, which he heated with a quick spell until them gave off a soft glow and a reasonable amount of heat. Once that was done he directed his attention to a second, smaller pile he had assembled near where Katlin was laying on her side further back in the cave, wrapped snuggly in his cloak.

Going over, he carefully readjusted her so she was leaned back against him. Directing his wand tip at the stones, he heated the smaller pile in a similar manner, then pulled her closer into his embrace as he lightly kissed her temple.

"Do you need anything?" He ask quietly.

Katlin slowly shook her head.

Orion let any further conversation drop for the moment as he stared into the red glow the stones gave off. His usual mask expression was now a perfect study of worry and concern. Unconsciously he tightened his embrace slightly around Katlin, as though seeking comfort in his fear from the one person who would understand.

A soft touch to his arm directed his attention back to his wife.

"Orion, he'll be OK." She offered quietly, her own expression mirroring his. "We'll get him back."

But the Unspeakable shook his head. "I don't feel him." He said in a whispered voice. "Ever since I was eleven years old, I could always 'feel' Bo. I knew what was going on with him. If he was happy or sad or excited. Now...now I feel nothing." He added in a small, dismal voice.

Katlin gently squeezed his arm. "We'll find him. We'll get him back."

Orion only answer was to bury his face in her hair as he pulled her closer.

Nearer the entrance to the cave, Harry sat next to his godfather, knowing that for the first time in what seemed like forever to him, it was really Sirius.

"Was hasn't Voldemort come back?" Harry asked. "Usually he hardly lets you stay more than a few minutes."

"Chalk it up to exhaustion." Sirius replied. "It takes a fair amount of will power for him to maintain a hold on my body. Even the dark lord needs to take a breather now and then. Aside from that," Sirius glanced over to where his brother sat next to Katlin, holding tightly onto her hand as he spoke in soft whispers to her, "you can blame it on 'paternal love'."

Harry followed Sirius' stare, then turned back to him. "But Katlin isn't related to Voldemort."

"She is as much as she needs to be, Harry." Sirius replied. "She's probably as close to him as he'll ever allow anyone to be. And he loves her a great deal. And in that love, he doesn't want to see her die. The reason I'm still here is right now he knows I'm currently the only one who can properly take care of her."

"She's better now?" Harry ask, a bit worried.

"She's better, Harry." Sirius agreed. "But she's a long way from 'out of the woods'. She needs tending to still, or the poison could still spread further."

"She could still die?" Harry asked in a low whisper.

Sirius stared back at his godson, then gave him a slight nod.

"You've been very quiet." Arabella observed from his other side.

Sirius turned to her.

"Meaning?"

"I would have thought once Katlin was taken care of you'd be a veritable fountain of information about what's really going on here. Since you know what Voldemort knows."

"That's not entirely true, Arabella." Sirius corrected her. "Just as I can keep some secrets from him," he said, glancing over where Katlin sat leaning against Orion's arm in front of the small light being given off by the stones, "so can he keep some of his from me. So I'm afraid right now there isn't much more I can tell you that you don't already know."

Harry turned to the floor. "I should have listened to you from the beginning." He said softly. "I should never have agreed to go with Voldemort." He looked up and glanced around at those in the cave. "It's turning out just the way it always does. Everyone around me is getting hurt."

"You weren't given much choice." Sirius reminded him. "If you hadn't agreed to Voldemort's terms, Orion would have died. What you did, Harry," Sirius added, "was the right choice. Never doubt that. Never blame yourself for it. No matter what happens. You made the right choice to save Orion's life."

"He didn't think so."

"Because Orion sees things sometimes as a little too black and white. Things are either right or wrong with him. But even though saving Katlin's life endangered us all, slowed our progress, and has us still in a rather precarious position, do you think for one minute he'll say what I did for her was 'wrong'?"

Harry glanced over to where Orion and Katlin were sitting locked in what seemed a very serious conversation despite her condition. They had been at it for some time, talking in whispers as the apparent debate went on.

"No." Harry finally answered.

"Well, I'm sure his feelings on the matter extend to most of the immediate family."

Just as Harry was about to respond, Lupin came over and joined the group. "Well, Ms. Griss seems to have weathered things fairly well." He speculated, glancing over at the two still locked in their conversation.

"She's far from well, Remus." Sirius reiterated. "And the faster we can get back to Hogwart's, the better."

"Still, she seems to show a remarkable ability to..."

But as Lupin watched the two, Orion suddenly leaned forward and captured Katlin's lips in a kiss that left very little doubt to the depth of the feeling behind it.

Sirius reached over and very slowly pushed his friend's mouth back closed.

"It's rude to stare, Remus." Sirius stated quietly.

Lupin turned back to him. "But...but your brother is a married man, Sirius!"

Sirius nodded slightly at the information. "Yes."

"And from what you always said, a 'happily' married man."

"Does he look unhappy at the moment to you?" Sirius as with a small grin.

Lupin stared at his friend for a full minute as the implication slowly sunk in.

"But...but she's...she's a Deatheater." He stammered, seemingly at a lost for words for the first time in his life.

"She's also his wife." Sirius delivered with a stoic expression.

Despite the added shock, Lupin managed to keep his mouth closed this time.

"And that," Sirius added, holding up a finger, "is not common knowledge, Remus."

Lupin stared over at the couple, still totally oblivious to anyone else's attention on them. "Then he should try to hide it better." He added with a small frown. "But I can see why all these years you've never said 'who' your brother was married too, and always changed the subject as fast as possible whenever it came up. I always thought you just didn't like the woman."

Sirius frowned slightly. "Never said I did either. But she's Orion's wife now. And she seems to do a good job of making my brother a very happy man. Politics aside, that's all I really care about."

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Q&A

CelticHeiressFiona:

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Another great chapter. Becca's a feisty little one. She should watch her tongue. That'll get annoying to Katlin real fast, and then "PA-CHING!" No more Becca. Yes, I did just write "PA-CHING!". Did you like my "sound effects?"

Well, I've heard Becca referred to as a lot of things. This is the first 'feisty'. And I suppose one could describe her as such. But I always felt 'naive' better suited her. But never let it be said she doesn't have a temper, as poor Heudros is likely to find out.

As for what Katlin could actually do to Becca, that is very much in doubt. Naive she may be, but she is certainly not lacking in power.

I did like the sound effects, Dear. Very nice.

ilovesiriusblack:

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Oh Fight! Just a bit concerned though is Bo going to wait for everyone to get out of the castle like he did in Enemies because he's acctually just a really nice guy? This may not work out so well for the group. Also why has Katlin hated Heudros for nearly half her life? Was he the man that came to her village? I can't remember who told Orion it was Voldemort.  
I also have to agree with snow baby that Katlin is an awesome character and I don't think I could decide who I liked more, her or Bo.  
As ever great chapter and I can't wait for the next one.

OK. Slight misconception here, Dear.

In Enemies, when Orion had Bo destroy the Deatheaters' lair, the Deatheaters owe their survival to two things.

1) Bad wording. Orion only 'told' Bo to destroy the lair, not the people in it. So Bo did as he was told. He moved everybody out, then destroyed 'the lair'. No kindness really on his part. Well, not entirely 'no kindness on his part'. (See number 2.) Also, misconception inside a misconception, Dear. Bo did not destroy the lair, Orion did, using Bo's power. But still, Orion directed the power, and Bo knew what he was going to do with it.

2) Bo does not kill. Even Talon would be really hard pressed to get him to do this. Keep in mind, Bo has been around for centuries at this point. He's formed a few ideas of his own in that time. One being that no living thing should have its life ended by him. It just doesn't sit well with him.

Also, as shown in this chapter, what or who he would destroy is a moot point. There was no way Heudros was going to let the castle be destroyed. It is simply far too important to him. And Orion knew that, or at least suspected it. Which is exactly why he used it as the bargaining chip to gain their freedom.

Why does Katlin hate Heudros and is he the man who destroyed her village? I'm not going to answer that. And you know what I've always said about questions I won't answer.

Who told Orion it was Voldemort? That depends on how specific you want to be in the answer. Orion was told that story by a man who told Orion the story that was told to him. Where did the story originate? Charly. Was it true? That remains to be seen.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh! Thank you ever so much. Always like having my OC's liked by readers. And here I have two vying for first place. No higher praise for an author.

Skahducky:

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Well, that's certainly one way to find a way out of the castle. How's Bo going to do that without hurting anybody inside? I recall in one of your earlier fics, Orion acquired Bo's abilities and used it to destroy one of Voldemort's lairs, but that was at the expense of everybody inside. Can Bo manage to avoid that this time?  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

No, no, Dear. You're remembering that wrong, I'm afraid. No one died when Bo destroyed the lair. Katlin told Orion that near the end of Enemies. Bo removed all the living things from the lair, then allowed Orion to destroy it. Bo simply does not like to kill things.

Did Bo avoid it this time? Thankfully, he never had to. Now, would Orion really have let Bo destroy the castle? Based on what he thinks the castle is, at this point in time, probably not. It would simply be too risky and he's not ready to deal with the fallout from such an action yet.

MasterLupin:

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Well I almost hit the preverbal nail on head with my last post. Hmm I think that Orion has determined the nature of Becca, or has a good theory nonetheless. I think that Becca will attempt to save the castle expending all of the group's energy on it. However that is a finite amount of energy which doesn't compare to Bo's which is several powers greater. When Bo overpowers Becca there will be a massive release of energy as the castle comes down, and possibly injure to an unknown extent members of the group.  
There is my short term next chapter or two predictions.  
As for health care works not having a bed side manner, don't let the few with none damage the reputation of rest of us that do. Most doctors or overstressed with to many patients and half of them suing for a free lunch, it understandable why there so stressed, just work around that and they are nice people. Some even like to joke.

Well, Dear, what can I say but..., ummmmmmmm..., no.

Nice theories though.

However, I have to correct a few misconceptions in them.

Does Orion know what Becca is? Not 100. However, he is highly suspicious. The reason he hasn't said anything or acted on his suspicions is that he feels Heudros has mixed a few extra ingredients in that make the situation very volatile. And he has no idea just how right he is.

Also, it's a bit of a fib for me to say he hasn't acted on his suspicions. The whole castle threat was a very large bluff on Orion's part where he was betting on what he believes the castle to be and Heudros reacting just as he did because of it.

Where you say that if Becca had tried to save the castle she could have expended all of the groups power to do that, which is a finite amount of power.

Now, that is true. But as I've mentioned before, to reach the point of exhausting Becca's resources would take a considerable effort. Placing her up against Bo just might do it, but it would take a while.

Also, is Bo more powerful than Becca? No, he's not. Ounce for ounce, they are exactly the same in their magical ability. But Bo does have two extremely powerful factors in his favor should he ever have to go up against Becca in a fight. One, his age. Bo is several centuries old. He's been using magic for a very long time and yielding it is just second nature to him. (But then again, why wouldn't it be? That's basically what he is. Just magic with a personality attached.)

The second factor I can't state yet because it is the hinge point of the whole story. But if you want to theorize on it, I'll throw this your way. Consider just how naive Becca really is, and how she might have gotten that way.

As for the two going up against each other, based on what he thinks he knows, Orion would avoid that at all costs. The fallout could be very nasty indeed.

Well, Dear, I wish you were practicing in Florida. We could sure use a few good ones down here.

All reviews are as of 6/10/2007.

And remember;

If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.


	71. Chapter 71

A/N: Not much this week.

Except,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: SORTING THINGS OUT

Turning to Arabella, Sirius ask her for the vial Snape had given her before they left. Rooting through her robes, Arabella finally produced the small vial and handed it to him.

Getting up, Sirius walked over to where his brother was still locked in an argument with Katlin.

"Give the poor woman a break." He stated, crouching next to them. "She needs rest and you're over here badgering her."

"I'm not badgering her, I'm asking her opinion on a few things."

"Fine." Sirius said, handing him the vial. "Ask her her opinion on how this tastes."

Orion took the vial and handed it over to Katlin, who frowned at it. Orion quickly pulled out the small flask again and shook it in front of her. "We can add flavoring if you like."

Katlin shook her head as she uncorked the vial. "Put that stuff away." She stated in a weak voice. "It'll just make it harder to swallow than it already will be."

"You have no taste." Orion commented haughtily.

"I have plenty of taste." She replied, frowning at the small bottle once again. "That's the problem."

"Off you go then." Sirius ordered lightly. "Down to the last drop."

Katlin sighed, then up-ended the bottle as she downed it in one swallow. But as soon as she lowered the vial she immediately started to cough and choke, wrapping her arms about her body to ease the pain.

Orion quickly produced a small bottle of water that she quickly took several draws off of.

"That good?" He ask.

"Tasted like mint." She replied with a sigh.

"Well, everyone likes mint." Orion offered helpfully.

Katlin didn't respond, but instead curled back up in Orion's arms and closed her eyes.

"So what's our next move?"

Orion shook his head. "I haven't gotten that far yet."

"Any ideas?"

"Quite a few. Several of which I was running over with my lovely bride until you sent her off to lala land."

"I'm rumored to be a good stand-in for listening." Sirius offered.

Orion continued to stare at the red glow of the stones as he thought. "I'm starting to think there's a lot more going on here than meets the eye."

"No kidding." Sirius replied flatly.

"Think about it." Orion replied. "Heudros and the others treat Becca like a second class citizen at best. Like Roland said, to them she's used, abused, then refuse. Why would someone stay in a situation like that?"

"Maybe she has nowhere else to go?"

Orion shook his head. "Becca could go anywhere she wanted. But she chooses to stay here and serve Heudros. Why?"

"Well," Sirius speculated, "People usually do that for two reasons. Love or fear. Maybe she's in love with him."

Orion turned to his brother with a frown. "I think it's more likely she fears him. We've seen how he treats her. How they all treat her. I'd be hard pressed to think Becca loves any of her keepers. But I'd bet everything I own she fears them."

"Then he has to have something else he's holding her by, Orion." Sirius suggested. "People don't fear someone for no good reason. And it can't be that Heudros is more powerful then Becca. Roland said Becca was the power behind Heudros' magic."

Orion tapped his chin. "So he did." He muttered more to himself. "So if he's holding her, the question now is 'with what'?"

Katlin awoke to a burning in her shoulder. At first she couldn't quite discern the reason for the pain. But as she shifted slightly and her mind focused a bit more, she remembered exactly what had caused that pain.

Stretching out a bit, her feet touched something solid. Levering herself up on one elbow, she glanced down to find her husband sleeping at her feet, his head resting on his arm. His own cloak was wrapped warmly about her body while her's was tucked under her head.

The slight nudge with her foot had stirred him and he was slowly shaking off sleep as he pulled himself up next to her.

"You OK?" He ask solicitously. "Do you need anything? How do you feel?"

"Yes. No. And fine." She answered in order. "I'm sorry I kicked you. You look like you could use the sleep."

Orion shook his head. "Just catching a nap."

"How long have we been here?" She ask, looking about at the other sleeping bodies around the caves floor.

"Few hours. Lupin is outside standing guard. I'll be relieving him in a few minutes. So I had to get up anyway. Sirius already took the first watch."

"Is your brother still with us?" She inquired with interest.

"So far. He says its because Voldemort is tired. And he's worried about you. He knows Sirius is the best person to look after you."

"I'm sure Arabella appreciates that."

"Well, quite frankly, I appreciate it too. Sirius is a master at strategy and its given me a few hours to discuss different ideas I've had with him."

"Does he have anything to share?"

"A few ideas. But right now. Since you're awake, I'd like to discuss a few things with you."

Katlin turned to him as he positioned himself behind her, supporting her as she leaned back against his legs. "Me?"

"I want to ask you a question. And I want a straight answer."

Katlin steeled herself up for what she knew already was coming. "All right. What is it you want to know?"

Orion didn't waste any time getting into the matter with her. "Why do you hate Heudros so much? Every time you were near the man the sheer hatred rolling off of you was so strong even a muggle would have felt it. From the moment you met the man you've been on the verge of murdering him. But to my knowledge, you've never even seen the man before."

Katlin settled back against him, staring out in front of her as she kept her voice low. "Can't you guess?"

Already Orion could feel the tension in her body rising. He didn't want to put her through whatever the man triggered in her again, but he needed to know what the problem was. Katlin could usually shield her emotions with the best of them. The woman could be near murder and you would never know it standing next to her.

But her feelings for Heudros she never even tried to cover. She openly displayed them, letting the world know how much she hated this one particular man.

"Love, I'm usually very good at this game." Orion confessed. "But you've got me stumped this time. As I said, to my knowledge, you've never met the man before."

Katlin gave a short, derisive laugh. "Oh, I've met him before." She replied. "We met a very, very long time ago."

"When?"

Katlin shifted herself again against the support behind her. "I told you once before," she said in barely a voice above a whisper, "about a man who came to my village. He manipulated the people there, using them to murder my parents." Katlin paused as Orion felt a shudder run through her body, as if she was suddenly very cold. "I hoped I would never see him again. Every day I prayed he was dead. That I would never have to see him again." She paused again as her voice fell even lower. "But my prayers weren't answered. And he is still alive. And I have seen him."

Orion wrapped a hand comfortingly over her shoulder. "Heudros."

Katlin nodded slightly. "So, can you blame me for wanting him dead? For wanting to kill him with my bare hands? I want to see him suffer, Orion. I want to see him take his last breath while I tighten my hands around his neck."

Orion didn't say anything, but instead lightly tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear.

"But before he dies," Katlin spoke up again, "I want him to answer a question for me."

"What's that, Love?" He ask.

"I want to know 'why'. Why did he murder my parents? What possible reason did it serve to kill a harmless couple who were nothing to him?"

"Maybe they were something to him."

Katlin turned a startled look to him. "What?"

"They were your parents. In one thing, I think the informant who told me the story about that man being Voldemort, was telling the truth. I think Heudros came to your village, Love, because he wanted you."

Katlin pulled up slightly. "For what?" She ask in the same startled voice. "Orion, I keep telling you, I wasn't anything special. My mother was the village healer. My father manipulated the weather and made the crops grow so we all had enough to eat. That was the extent of it. We weren't anything special."

"Maybe not as you were, Love. But I suspect Heudros wanted you for a very specific purpose. Trust me," he added, placing a kiss on her head, "you'll get your answers. I promise you."

Katlin mulled over the idea for a few minutes, then turned back to her husband. "Have you sensed anything from Bo?" She ask, hating just to bring the subject up, knowing how worried Orion still was for his friend. "Do you know if he's all right?"

Orion slowly shook his head. "That's what worries me. Where is he?"

"Orion," Katlin ask, her own voice laced with worry, "you don't think that they actually...?"

"Bo can't die, Katlin." Orion told her. "He isn't really alive to begin with. They can kill the boggart side of him, if there's even anything left of it. But I think that part of Bo stopped existing a long time ago. The only thing they could possibly do to him is capture him. They might try to break his hold in this realm, but I don't think they can do that without my father. He's still the host and Bo is still bound to him. Based on that, I think he's really the only one who can discharge Bo from our realm. I think the reason I can't feel him is they've captured him and cut me off from him like they did before when we were in the castle."

Katlin gave him a worried look. "Do you think he'll be all right?"

Orion sighed quietly. "I don't know." He replied. "Right now, if they have him, he's probably frightened out of his little mind. And Bo in that state is a very dangerous thing. But what worries me more is that in the end, Heudros finally got what he really wanted in all this."

Katlin stared back at him. "Bo?!"

"You remember what I told you Hershel said before we left? He said I should take Bo with me."

"Oh, Orion, you don't think Hershel meant for Bo to be...?"

Orion waved her off. "No. I don't think Hershel really meant any harm to come to Bo. I think he was trying to warn me. He said when he was attacked by the wizards people he felt something. Something he hadn't felt in so long he almost didn't recognize it."

"What?"

"He didn't say. But I think that thing Hershel felt was what he felt when he first came into contact with Bo. That was why he told me to take Bo with us. Because he already knew what we were facing. And then you consider what has happened so far. All Heudros' tests. What were they really? First the box, then the bridge, then the castle itself. What was he really testing?"

"Voldemort said he thought it was to discover our weaknesses. To use them against us."

"And in a way I think he was right. But more than that, I think Heudros was testing something else. He was testing Bo. Trying to see just how strong he was."

"For what?"

"To see if he could capture him. If he could imprison him the way he has Becca."

Katlin's mouth dropped open. "He wanted to imprison Bo...like he has Becca? For what reason?"

Orion paused for a moment before answering her. "Since our first encounter with her, Bo's been asking me questions about Becca. He kept referring to her as 'the other'. I didn't understand what he was saying until a short while ago. Until I saw that ritual being performed."

"'The other'?" Katlin's eyes grew wide as she stared back at her husband. "You're telling me...that Becca...that that poor, abused child..is...is...?"

"What Bo is." Orion finished for her. "Those idiots back there have created another 'Power'. Becca."

****

Q&A

The point I'm surprised no one questioned here, (maybe this time around) was how did Heudros know whether or not Bo could really do what Orion told him to and destroy the castle.

Just curious.

Also, I am REALLLLLLLY surprised no one caught the huge continuity error in the last chapter.

If you will recall back in Chapter Forty-One B (By my count, not FFN's) Katlin came running out of a side corridor and smacked straight into Orion (Is everybody remembering that now?). Once she was sure Sirius was in control of his body, she quickly turned back to Orion and directly addressed him as 'Mr. Black', which he responded to by addressing her as 'Mrs. Black'. All in front of Lupin.

Continuity errors. Don't they just make stories interesting?

And if you're really bored, I'll even tell you how that happened. The scene in the last chapter was suppose to be Harry, not Lupin. But Harry found out much earlier in another scene that was added at the last minute that Orion and Katlin were married. But I thought the scene in the last chapter was cute and didn't want to delete it entirely, so I just substituted Lupin in there for Harry, forgetting completely that Lupin already knew Orion was married to Katlin.

See what happens when you muck about with your stories mid-way?

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Q&A

MasterLupin:

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Darn, I was way off this time. I was also admittedly hoping for a battle of epic proportions. Orion and Katlin are not doing a good job of keeping their secret marriage so secret. Everyone in the group excluding Voldemort seems to be privy to the secret information, and that's only counting the group. If keeping a secret, secret could be expressed in a math equation, from my experience it would be an inversely proportional equation. That is to say that as more people know the chance of the secret becoming public increases exponentially.  
As for Bo's second advantage over Becca, I would say that it is combat experience first. However I would also say that Becca would have the true advantage in the fight if their power is almost equal; that advantage being that she has no apparent qualm with killing, something working against Bo.  
Orion strikes me as a person who would easily lose a game of chess against Dumbledore. He seems to be a person who puts the wrong value on his pawns, and places the value that his pawns should have on his power pieces. He also seems to be unwilling to risk short term strife for a long term victory.

Not really, Dear. You had some points that were close, just needed a little more work.

A battle of epic proportions? It would depend on who is in the battle. If you're thinking of one between Bo and Becca, I hardly think 'epic' is the word I'd use. I mean. how epic can a battle be that involves someone who can't really manage their own power and a really pissy three year-old?

Wellllll..., true. But they figured it was safe. And if you think about it, actually, everybody in the group (except Voldemort) knew about it before they even left on the journey. That was the actual reason they weren't trying to keep it much of a secret. But do to my mucking about with the story line, things got a little confused. Mathematically, true, the more people that know that greater the chance of exposure. But if you think about it, Orion and Katlin have actually done a very good job of keeping it a secret. The only people who know are those on the 'Need to know' list, and they have managed to contain that information within that select group for fifteen some-odd years. Not too bad.

And despite all of that, Orion has managed to keep it a secret from the people he works with, excluding Orin and Charly, and Katlin has kept it a secret from those she works with completely.

Actually...no. Bo's advantage isn't combat experience. Bo, technically, has never been in combat. Who would take a three year old into combat? Sorry, Dear. It's something else that will be pointed out in up coming chapters. But feel free to keep guessing.

However, you are right on with your assessment of Becca's advantage over Bo...to a point.

Yes, Becca will kill where Bo will not. To her, killing is just sort of a problem solving tool. However, consider this point. The reason Bo will not kill is that he understands what killing is (sort of). He refers to killing as 'damage'. He knows the person isn't the way they were before and you can not heal them. Therefore, 'damaged' is very, very bad.

To Becca, they are just dead. No real point in worrying about them anymore. Period. Literally. For Becca, she sees no further than the act of killing. Someone bothers you, you kill them. They stop bothering you. Problem solved. She sees nothing past that.

Does that mean she has no conscience? No. She just doesn't understand the concept.

I never said he was a great strategist, Dear. When Orion needed strategy, who did he turn to? Sirius. Sirius is the strategist in the family.

Well who the heck would win a game of chess against Dumbledore?!

And I have said many times that Orion's strength isn't in his wits (so to speak). It's in the fact that he's so darned tenacious. Once he gets ahold of something, he's like a dog with a bone. He doesn't let go until it's resolved to his satisfaction.

Keep 'em coming, Dear. I always love your theories.

ilovesirisublack:

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That chapter was amazing, I was on the edge of my seat plus yay Sirius! Never a bad thing in my opinion. Is Bo ok? I hope so. As for Becca, that girl needs to leave Heudros sharpish, he is clearly abusive, I hope someone knocks him down a peg or a million pretty soon.and just what does Orion think the castle is? Because I have no idea at all but maybe I'm just being slow.Anyways looking forward to the next chapter I hope its as god as this one. Bye!

Is Bo OK? You'll have to wait to find out, Dear. Can't answer something that is directly part of the story line. Sorry.

Yes indeed. Becca would benefit immensely from leaving Heudros. But how do you convince someone to leave the person they have literally built their whole world around? Heudros is everything to Becca. Practically her whole reason for being. Orion's challenge is how to change that and get her to see the man for what he really is. Not an easy task.

And yes, Heudros would benefit as well from being taken down a peg or two (or three or four or five). and I think you may be mildly surprised in who will be responsible for that.

What does Orion think the castle is? Again, can't answer that, but you will find out before the story is over. It serves a very specific purpose.

Silverfox:

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Oh no! Bo! Believe it or not for a moment there I was hoping that Orion would drop Katlin (or at least shove her into Sirius' arms) and run to save his bogart. Guess that makes it pretty clear who my favourite character is (in case there ever was any doubt).

OK, OK. Yes, Bo is a reader favorite, but do you honestly think the man is going to drop his WIFE? She'd have killed him on the spot, sick or no.

Granted, I will say Orion was hard pressed on what to do in the situation. And it was not an easy decision for him to leave Bo behind. But he does make up for it in future choices.

Skahducky:

****

Haha, Remus' reaction was so funny! Didn't he already figure it out, though? After all, Orion and Katlin have been very close to each other this whole time, and Orion did call her 'Love' earlier.  
What does Orion think the castle is?  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

Well, I must have loved it as much as you since, as stated in my little comment before Q&A, that was a scene that should have been taken out because it lost relevance in the story, but instead I just retooled it a bit to keep it in.

Orion's calling Katlin 'Love' is simply a character habit of his. He calls a lot of women 'Love'. He is, after all, English. It's similar to an Australian calling people 'mate'.

I can't explain off as easily how close they have been, but it is known by a slightly larger group that they are a 'couple'. The differences comes in with what reason people think they are together. The general consensus, as with Voldemort, is that she is playing him for secrets, as does Orion's people think he is doing the same to her. So it is tolerated.

What Orion thinks the castle is will come up shortly, so I can't really say right now.

CelticHeiressFiona:

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Awesome chapter!

Thank you, Dear.

Elle's Bells:

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Good chapter love! I do hope you didn't kill off Bo; it seems like the group would be royally skrewed without him (her?, it?). Also, could you just say that Voldie has decided to fly away and Sirius is here to stay? I'd love that muchly. Cheers! Elle

Him? Her? It? Good question. But I would have to say, based on future stories, that Bo definitely sees 'himself' in the masculine sense.

And indeed, the group would be in serious trouble without Orion's boggart to help them out. As to Bo's current condition, however, that remains to be seen.

Voldemort's time in Sirius' body is limited, if you'll remember. The spell is slowly merging the two personalities until eventually neither will exist anymore as a separate entity. Sirius' body, for him, is basically just temporary housing.

Cheers, Dear.

All reviews are as of 6/16/2007.

And remember;

A very happy Father's Day to all dads out there, especially my own. Eighty-four big ones and counting. GO DAD!


	72. Chapter 72

A/N: Well, folks, what can I say? The title says it all. If ever I promised you answers, this chapter will deliver. And if ever there was a chapter you don't want to miss, this is it.

It's also one of my seriously longer chapters. So much so that I broke it into three parts.

So sit back, kick your feet up,

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

****

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN: REVELATIONS: PART A

Katlin found she could do nothing more than gape at her husband.

When she finally found her voice again, she didn't seem to had much use for it in way of making intelligent conversation.

"They made...they found a way...but how could...that poor...does she even...Orion, what are we going to do?!" She eventually finished off.

"Right now, I'm not sure. My biggest concern right now is Bo. I have to find him and find out if he's all right."

"But they wouldn't hurt him, surely. He's...they would just view him as another source of power. Like they do Becca."

Orion shook his head. "Oh no, Love. The only way they view Bo is as a threat to them."

Katlin nearly laughed. "A threat? Bo?" She shook her head. "Orion, Bo isn't a threat to them. I don't think he's really a threat to anyone. Maybe himself sometimes. But that's about it, isn't it? He's really nothing more than an overgrown three year old."

Orion sighed quietly to himself. This was the one place that for some reason he could never quite make Katlin see just how dangerous Bo really was. Why he kept such a close watch over his precocious boggart.

"A three year old with the power to destroy the world?" He ask. "You don't find that dangerous?"

"But Bo would never do that!" Katlin defended quickly. "He doesn't kill. You told me that yourself."

"I've never known him to kill." Orion clarified. "That's not to say he's never done it, Katlin. Bo's been around for a very, very long time."

"But surely your family has records of some sort. Someone would know."

Orion nodded to that. "That's true. That's how we've learned as much as we have about the 'Power'. Through family records. And true, no one has ever mentioned Bo actually harming anyone but his hosts; and that wasn't entirely his fault. But records aren't always accurate, Katlin. And it's still not to say that one day, if he got really angry over something, that he wouldn't...deal with it. Look at Becca. Becca kills out-of-hand, Love. She seems to view it as nothing more than a problem solving tool. And there's nothing to indicate Bo couldn't one day do the same."

"Except his nature, Orion." Katlin argued back. "They may be the same...entity. But Bo is nothing like Becca. He's shy, and quiet, and he's just so darned lovable. You've said it yourself; Bo doesn't hate anything. How can you kill something without hatred?"

"Accidents happen, Katlin."

"Well, I still know that when you used Bo to destroy the Lair, Bo got every living thing out of there before he did what you wanted. I doubt even a flea died when the lair collapsed."

"All based on wrong wording, Love. Had I told Bo I wanted the lair and every living thing in it destroyed, what do you think he would have done then? All I told him was I wanted the lair destroyed."

"All right," Katlin sighed, "I'll concede, Bo could be a danger in the wrong hands. But I still see that as a reason they would want to keep him alive, not harm him. I still don't see how he's a threat to them."

"Because Heudros doesn't like to lose."

"Pardon?" She asked with a puzzled frown.

"Heudros doesn't like to lose." Orion repeated. "For a long time, Heudros has had the upper hand. Now he realizes he doesn't. He's discovered there's another 'Power' out there just like the one he brought into existence. He also figures, and rightly so, that he can't control Bo. So he most likely wants to get rid of him."

"So Heudros wants to destroy Bo?"

Orion nodded. "I've actually been a fool in a lot of this. At first, I thought Heudros was after Harry. Stop Harry and he's stops us from finding him.

Then his attention seemed to turn to Voldemort. But I think that was just more general irritation than anything.

But now finally he's shifted his attention to his real target in all of this."

"Bo." Katlin answered in a whispered voice.

Orion nodded. "And when you look at it, everything he's done has all been Heudros, not assessing our powers, but Bo's. Sending him off on his own was stupid and careless. I should have known better. I gave Heudros the opportunity he was looking for at just the time he was looking for it. Getting Bo away from us."

"But Bo's been separated from you before. When we first entered the castle, he was trapped outside."

"That was more of a fluke than Huedros' doing."

"A fluke?"

"Don't you know what that castle is yet?" Orion ask her.

Katlin shook her head. "It's...it's Becca's home."

Orion shook his head in return. "It's not her home, Katlin. It's her prison. Heudros created that castle as a place to keep Becca contained and controlled. That castle is nothing more than a giant ward set up to keep Becca within its borders. That was the reason Bo couldn't get into it at first."

"But that can't be right." Katlin stated. "We've seen her outside the castle."

Orion shook his head again. "No. We've seen her in the corridor. Which, at times, was nothing more than an extension of the castle itself."

"But Bo has been in the corridor with us. It wasn't keeping him out then."

"Because at the time the main wards making up the castle didn't extend that far. Just like the smaller wards inside the castle, Heudros can shift the main wards that make up the castle around wherever he wants them to be."

Katlin gave him a wide-eyed look of surprise. "He can do something like that?"

"Not Heudros." Orion corrected. "Becca. Heudros manipulated her into creating her own prison and then handing the keys over to him. Roland said it best when he said that Heudros could teach even Voldemort a few tricks in being devious."

"But then why let him in at all? Why not keep the two of you separated and attack Bo right then?"

"Because Heudros wasn't sure enough yet of his own ability...or more Becca's...to overpower Bo. He was still testing him. Still sorting out our connection. If anything, the castle likely served to prove to Heudros what he suspected about Bo if he wasn't sure already."

"That he was another 'Power'." Katlin supplied.

Orion nodded. "I also suspect the castle serves several other less obvious purposes. One being, it dampens Becca's abilities...her power. That would explain why it's been so hard for Bo to function inside of it. He does marginally better than Becca, but it still effected him. Something I'm sure Heudros took great note of, as interested as he is in my boggart. If you recall, Bo had a great deal of trouble getting around the smaller wards inside of the castle."

"You told Figg it was because he was nervous."

"To a degree, he was. The wards were upsetting and confusing him, as well as was he trying to sort out the effects the castle was having on him. Sort of a 'sensory overload' for Bo."

Katlin smiled slightly at her husband as she murmured, "Poor Bo."

"And if I'm right in what I think Heudros is actually up to here, he's actually been suspicious of Bo's true nature for a very long time. Before we even started this journey. For some reason he just picked now as the time to strike."

Katlin shook her head slightly as though trying to clear a thought. "Picked? Orion, he didn't know we were coming after him."

"Yes, he did." Orion stated. "He even paved the way for us. What happened the minute we started this journey? Becca showed up. Heudros knew we were there. He knew we were coming. None of this has been a surprise to him. And if I don't miss my guess, he even knows where we are now."

"Then why hasn't he sent his people to attack us?"

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe because he finally has what he wants."

"You said Heudros has been suspicious of Bo's true nature for a long time. How long?"

"Again, if my assumptions are right, for years now. But I can only prove it more recently."

"Recently?"

"Do you remember when Hershel was attacked?"

Katlin nodded.

"Why? Why single out that one person to attack? What made him different from all the rest of us?"

Katlin gave him a pointed stare. "You're not serious?! Orion, Hershel is half-Dementor. He would burn like a candle in that darkness to someone seeking out powerful wizards or witches."

"But aside from that he had something else that held him up as a beacon to Heudros." Orion stated. "Hershel had been touched by the 'Power'. Yes, I think at first Hershel was indeed suppose to be just one more on Becca's growing list of dead witches and wizards. Remember what Roland said? Heudros didn't want anyone more powerful than himself around who could challenge him. He saw Hershel at first as just another wizard to challenge his power, based on his Dementor enhanced abilities. But when Heudros came to the house, I think he sensed something else. He sensed that Hershel had been touched by the 'Power', or at least had contact with it somehow. So he became all the more determined to kill him."

"But he didn't."

"They didn't have the chance. We showed up and they retreated."

"And I never understood that. Orion, if Heudros is as powerful as you think, with Becca backing him, why did they run off when we arrived? Why not just kill us as well?"

Orion held a finger up. "Who came with us?" He ask.

Katlin thought for a moment. But understanding suddenly lit her expression. "Bo." She whispered. "They sensed Bo."

"And ran." Orion finished for her.

"But again, why not try and capture him then if that was always Heudros' ultimate goal?"

"Because Heudros wasn't ready to face him yet. Heudros wasn't sure yet of Bo's full potential or if he could beat him. And he doesn't like to lose, remember?"

"But if he has Becca, how could he?"

"Another good point. And I think the answer there is that Heudros isn't as connected to his 'Power' as my family is to Bo. I don't think Heudros really knows what he has."

"What he has?"

"Katlin, my family has housed and sheltered Bo for generations. We have had generation after generation for years to learn about the 'Power'. Every member of my family that used the 'Power' learned from that experience and passed it down to the next host. That's the reason my father is so staunchly opposed to ever using Bo's power. Because he knows without a doubt the consequences of that action. But Heudros has only had contact with Becca for a few years at best. No time at all when compared to my family's experience. I'm not even certain if he knows for sure what she is."

Katlin stared up at him with wide eyes. "Do you honestly believe that?" She ask. "That he created her without knowing what she really is?"

Orion shrugged slightly. "I hope I'm wrong, Love. But anything is possible here. and it is very likely Heudros has no idea Becca's true nature. At least not the full extent of it."

Katlin stared up at him. "But Orion," She said in a whispered voice, "if Heudros doesn't know what Becca is, then isn't it just possible that maybe Becca doesn't know either?"

****

PLEASE SEE PART B.


	73. Chapter 73

A/N: Meanwhile, back at the ranch,

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN B: REVELATIONS PART B

An hour later Orion stood outside the cave's entrance, thinking over Katlin's words as he took his turn at watch.

Was it possible that Heudros didn't know what he had brought into being, and by that, Becca was also totally ignorant of her own true nature?

From the woman's actions, she seemed more than a little naive. In fact, 'naive' didn't even begin to describe her. It was apparent to him that Heudros kept Becca more than a little in the dark about some of his more unseemly activities. But the woman had to be totally blind or as dense as a post not to see part of it. Enough, at least, to make her question her kind and benevolent master.

Or maybe she was just so twisted around by Heudros, she didn't want to see anything more than he told her. 'Safe and secure'. It was what a lot of people dealt with most effectively. They knew the way they wanted to see the world and please don't confuse them with little details like 'the truth'. That would just upset their well-constructed little fantasy and they wanted no part of it.

As he stood in the entrance mulling over his thoughts, a small flash of light instantly caught his attention.

'Here we go again.' Orion thought. But this time he had actually been hoping for another encounter with Heudros' enigmatic servant, and had a plan firmly laid out.

"My master has been more than patient with you." Becca stated as she appeared before the Unspeakable. "Why do you persist on remaining here?"

Orion leaned back against the outside wall of the cave. "We are not currently 'persisting' in anything, Becca." He replied. "Right now we are trying to avoid your master's followers, who are highly motivated to killing us. And aside from that, we can't leave without all of our group."

Becca turned momentarily to the cave, then back to Orion. "All your members are accounted for. I will send you home."

But as she raised her arm, Orion raised his own to cut her off. "We are not 'all accounted for'." He stated firmly. "My boggart is missing. And I can promise you I am not leaving without him."

Becca didn't even pause to consider his words. "Leave now and you will all return home safely. I swear it. As well I will return your companion to you."

Orion didn't miss a beat catching her meaning. "Bo! You have Bo?!"

Becca gave little reaction to the Unspeakable's question, her expression unchanged. "Agree to return home now and I will return him to you."

Orion's own expression fell flat. "You haven't confirmed yet that you have him. And as far as I'm concerned, your track record for the truth hasn't been that great."

If Becca was growing impatient with the verbal exchange, her only expression of it was a slight pursing of her lips before she spoke again. "If you agree to leave here, I will return him to you."

"Prove you have him." Orion stated. "You prove that to me, Becca, bring him here, and we'll agree to leave. Plain and simple, all right?"

Becca considered the offer a moment. "Your 'track record' with the truth is not so great either, Mr. Black. I will hold the boggart as collateral. When you have been returned to your home, I will release him."

"No deal." Orion stated bluntly. "I want proof you have him."

Without so much as a gesture on her part, Orion suddenly found himself standing in a small room that looked very much like one back in the castle. But what caught his attention foremost was the figure sitting in the far corner of the room.

"Bo!"

Orion ran across the room as the boggart looked up at the sound of his name. A soft, whimpered trill came from underneath the hood as the boggart acknowledged his Channeler's presence.

Crouching down next to him, Orion wrapped a hand over one of the boggart's cloaked shoulders while he caressed the over down the back of his head. "How are you, buddy?" He ask quickly. "You OK? Have they treated you OK? Are you hurt?"

The boggart simply gave the same whimpering trill again as he laid his head forward until it rested against Orion's chest.

"I'm so sorry, Bo." Orion murmured to him as he continued to stroke the hooded head. "I never meant for you to get hurt. I swear it. I'm so very, very sorry."

Behind them Becca stood for several minutes watching the two, her eyes wide with interest. "He's fine." She suddenly stated with impatience. "Nothing is wrong with him."

"He isn't fine." Orion stated in a tone to match her own. "He's far from it." Orion quickly turned his attention back to Bo. "OK, Buddy." He stated gently. "I need to ask you a few questions, OK. So you pay attention."

The boggart gave the slightest nod as Orion let go of his head.

Orion began speaking to the boggart, asking him a series of questions that could easily be answered with a nod or shake of his head. But as he spoke, Orion also was gesturing with his hands. Small, curt movements that to the general observer may have looked like nothing more than Orion emphasizing what he was saying with words with his hands.

But all the while he talked, Bo never once took the direction of his stare off Orion's hands. He nodded every so often, or shook his head. His answers looking like nothing more than his answering Orion's worded questions with the slight exception he wasn't quite on cue with the questions. Instead, to the more observant watcher, he seemed to be listening to a whole different conversation, taking part in that one as opposed to the one his channeler was verbally having with him.

"Why are you so concerned?" Becca ask, her voice curtish despite her interest in the interaction between the two. "He's just your servant, and one that has failed you at that. He should be punished, not coddled like some sick child."

Orion turned to the woman. "Look, Becca," he stated in a quiet, controlled voice, "I can't help how Heudros treats you, but Bo is my boggart, and he is not my servant, he's my friend."

Becca seemed intrigued by the idea. "Friend?" She stated. "What do you mean, 'your friend'. He serves you. You control him."

Orion actual laughed at her last statement. Turning to her, he fixed his stare on her. "First off, Bo does not serve me, he helps me. As for controlling him, I beg to differ."

"You told him to attack us in the forest and he obeyed. Despite the obvious danger such an act entailed, he still did as he was told."

Orion sighed to himself. "Bo was told to 'protect', not 'attack'. I doubt one of your people suffered much at his hands. And he didn't 'do as he was told', he did what he knew needed to be done despite the danger because we were in danger. Katlin was injured and Bo knew we needed time to help her without worrying about Heudros' people. Bo did what he did out of concern for us. Not because I told him to, and not for any great pleasure he got out of attacking anyone. He did it to protect his friends."

Becca seemed to consider the information quite seriously as a frown knitted across her brow.

Orion did nothing to distract her. He had gotten what he wanted out of the situation. He knew that for the time being, Bo wasn't in any great danger, and he was alone with Becca.

Without her master to redirect her thoughts, Orion wondered just how far he could go to reaching her.

But after a few moments she raised her head again. "He fears his consequences." She stated empirically, as though she had been given a difficult puzzle to solve and had just arrived at the answer she was sure was right.

Orion gave her a puzzled look in return. "What consequences?"

Becca didn't hesitate in her answer this time. "Whatever you have laid them out to be. He has been with you for some time, that is obvious, so surely he knows what they are."

Orion considered her answer carefully and the wealth of information it held for the Unspeakable. So Heudros exercised his control with threatened punishment. What intrigued him most was what Heudros felt was pertinent enough to Becca that it allowed him complete control over her, balanced against her fear of it.

Well, if she felt Bo knew what his 'consequences' were, maybe she knew her own as well.

"Is that what Heudros has given you? Consequences if you disobey him?"

Becca stared back at the Unspeakable for a few moments. "If I disobey, I am punished." She replied in a very route sounding voice. "That is his right as my master. It is his right over all of his followers."

"And what did Heudros say he would do to you if you disobey him?" Orion pressed on gently.

Becca stood stock still for several seconds, as if weighing the value of the information. But apparently she didn't see anything of great significance in the answer. "He said that he will take my magic away from me." She stated plainly.

For several moments Orion stood staring at the woman with a dumbfounded expression. But all at once he suddenly burst out laughing, causing Becca's solemn expression to shift to one of utter surprise.

"I fail to see what you find amusing about that, Mr. Black."

Orion seriously worked to regain control of himself before answering her. "Becca, he's lying." He stated.

Orion expected denial from the woman. Defense of her master and his honorable nature. But instead she cocked her head slightly to the side as she studied the man in front of her. "Lying?" She ask.

Well, if nothing else, this conversation was turning into an eye opener of how Heudros controlled his servant.

Orion nodded, still working to bring himself back to a more serious frame of mind. "Becca, we need to have a very serious talk about you and your master."

The woman straightened her back even more rigidly. "Is this to be more of your maligning my master? Because I have heard quite enough of that from you, Mr. Black." She warned him seriously.

"No, Becca." Orion replied solemnly. "But I am going to tell you something, and I need you to listen to me. It's very important you hear what I have to say. It's important to you."

Orion doubted very much the woman would believe one word of what he was going to tell her. But all he really needed was for her to hear it. Sometimes just planting a seed of doubt was all that was necessary to grow a tremendous amount of instability in someone's beliefs.

Becca stared back at him, never agreeing to hear him out, but, Orion noted, also not leaving, or sending him away.

"Becca, I'm going to make you a promise. One I swear to you is the truth, and one that I can prove, all right?"

Becca made no more answer than to incline her head slightly.

"Becca, this threat Heudros has made to you, these 'consequences' he has warned you about if you disobey him?"

The woman nodded slightly to show she was still listening.

"Becca, they are lies. Heudros can't take your magic from you because you are his magic."

Again Orion expected the usual stanch defense of her master from the woman. But again she surprised him by simply staring back at him. She appeared to be considering the information, then shook her head. "No. You are wrong. Heudros gave me my magic." She stated factually.

Orion read the hesitancy in her face. Currently it was all he had to work with, but it could also turn out to be all he needed.

"Becca, he's lying to you." He reiterated once more. "Heudros can no more take your magic away from you than I can. Because you are his magic. Becca, you are magic."

If Orion hoped to see any recognition to what he was saying, he was dismally disappointed as the woman only continued to stare back at him.

"But he can." Becca countered. "Heudros gave my magic to me. Before I was...I wasn't even a witch. I was...I was just a regular person." She finished in a quiet whisper. "A muggle."

"What?!" Orion stated in utter surprise. This conversation really was turning into an eye opener. In more ways than one.

Becca pulled herself up again, as though steeling herself to face some ridicule she was certain was coming. "A muggle." She repeated in a bit stronger voice. "When Heudros first came to me, I was nothing more than a muggle. But he said he could do things for me. Wonderful, magical things. He promised me a life beyond anything I knew before. And he kept that promise, Mr. Black. You have yet to keep yours."

Orion worked hard to recover his train of thought from the blow dealt to it by Becca's declaration.

So Heudros had not only had found the perfect lie to control Becca, he had somehow managed to back it up with some groundwork. His task now was to find out exactly what that was and just how carefully Heudros had laid the foundation of his glass house.

If anything in all of this was spurring him on, it was the sole desire he had to see this man's influence over the poor woman brought to an end. She deserved at least that much after all the years she had suffered under his tyrannical rule of her life. And she deserved a real life. Not one based on the series of lies Heudros had constructed.

"Becca. You were never a muggle." He stated carefully.

The woman gave a small laugh. "Of course I was."

Orion only shook his head at her.

"Then what was I?" She ask defiantly.

Orion again shook his head sadly. What had Heudros done to this poor woman? She didn't even appear to know what she was. Maybe Katlin had been right in her assumption of the situation after all. "You weren't anything, Becca. You didn't even exist."

Becca stared back at him, her expression hinting at nothing behind her eyes. "What do you mean I didn't exist?" She ask plainly with just the smallest touch of annoyance in her tone.

"Just that." Orion replied. "You didn't exist, Becca. Before you 'met' Heudros, you were nothing more than...than a force of magic. You had no corporeal form. You weren't even a sentient being. Heudros created you. You had no life before him."

"Now I see your lie." She suddenly stated clearly. "I had a life before Heudros. I remember it."

"You remember what Heudros told you, Becca. You didn't even exist before you 'met' Heudros."

"You are lying." Becca stated again. "And I am a fool for listening to you."

Orion clearly sensed he was losing her, and with her, his opportunity to break Heudros' hold on her. "Becca," he stated quickly, "I told you I can prove what I'm saying."

Becca stared back at him. "How?"

From the speculation in her features, Orion knew he had an up hill battle on this one. But if the final result was that Becca gained freedom from Heudros, it would be worth it.

"Simple paper work." Orion stated. "Try tracing your past. My guess is you won't find one. As compliant as you've been to his lies, I doubt Heudros ever thought he would need to lay down a solid backing for his tales."

"You're wrong." Becca replied firmly.

"Everyone has a past, Becca."

"Not orphans, Mr. Black."

Now it was his turn to be surprised again. "Orphans?"

Becca gave him a sadly triumphant smile. "Yes. I have no family anymore. My parents are both dead."

Orion studied her expression for any sign of a lie. But she was staring at him in that maddening way of her's again. With an expression that didn't give him a clue as to what she was thinking. The only other person he had ever known to be able to do such a thing was Katl...

Orion stood staring silently at her for a very long time. Suddenly pieces were rapidly falling into place. The problem was, he didn't particularly like the picture they were forming.

"Becca, how did your parents die?" Orion ask solemnly.

"Heudros said it was a fire. At our house. They both died, but I survived because I wasn't at the house at the time."

"Where were you?"

"I don't remember."

"You don't remember?"

"I don't remember much about the fire or my life from before it, Mr. Black. Heudros said it was from the trauma of the event and I wasn't to worry about it. Someday I may remember it. But if I don't, where is the harm?"

Orion shook his head. "Lady, you have no idea the harm." He said in a low tone. More pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "Heudros must have recognized Katlin when she dropped the spell that hides her appearance." He said, speaking more to himself and giving a small laugh as he worked the details out for himself. "Great magic, that must have given him a shock. He probably thought she died in that fire as well. Suddenly he's got a loose end he thought was gone and done with staring him in the face. So he arranges for her to fight in that arena, hoping that would solve his problem, and when that didn't work, he tried to poison her. All of this to try and kill my wife because of what she doesn't even know she knows about him."

Becca gave him an impatient stare. "What are you talking about, Mr. Black?"

"Lies." Orion answered, turning back to her. "Think back, Becca. What is your first clear memory? Something you know for a fact undeniably happened."

The woman thought over the question. "I was..." But she stopped suddenly as a look of concentration crossed her face. "I remember Heudros. He was calling me."

Orion frowned. "Calling you? From where?"

Becca thought, then shook her head. "I must have been asleep. Yes! I was sleeping. And I heard his voice calling my name."

Orion's interest raised immediately at the information. Was that what it was like for Bo when his family created him? Just a voice in the blackness calling to him? Summoning him into being.

"Becca, tell me something. If you were a muggle, did Heudros ever tell you 'why' he wanted you? Why not pick someone who was a witch already? Why chose a muggle?"

"He said I was special." Becca answered with all the simplicity of a well trained answer, but without one trace of pride in it. "Heudros said he had been watching me and he said he knew I would serve him well. So you see," she added, as if proving her case, "if Heudros had been watching me, I must have been there before he called me."

"All right," Orion conceded. "then surely you remember where you were when Heudros called you. That had to have been a pretty significant event for you. A man shows up suddenly, calling your name, telling you he's a wizard and he's going to give you magical powers as well. I would sure as heck remember that."

Becca frowned at him. "Of course I remember." She stated firmly. "I was..." But again her words faltered. "I was...I was probably at the orphanage. Where Heudros said he took me from" She finished finally.

"Where Heudros said he took you from? You don't remember?"

"It was very soon after the fire, Mr. Black. I remember very little of that time."

Orion knew he had to slow down a little. He didn't want to scare her or make her too defensive. And she was starting to show signs of the stress of what he was telling her. Believe him or not, she was listening. But she was becoming aggravated with him, mostly apparent in that her usual calm, clear voice had risen a few degrees in tone. Most people probably wouldn't even notice the change, but to Orion it was a distinct as though she had suddenly flown off into full blown hysterics.

He had to step more carefully. But he also had to stay on track with her.

"You've been with Heudros for some time, yes?" Orion ask, seeming to suddenly switch the subject.

"I have served him for years." Becca agreed.

"So you couldn't have been very old when Heudros first 'called' you. How old were you when the fire happened?"

"Fifteen."

Orion winced slightly. The man missed nothing in constructing this lie. It wouldn't be easy to get around.

"You must remember something about your parents, Becca. At least you should remember their names."

"What?" The tone of her voice shifted a little bit more.

"What were your parents names?" Orion tried again, trying to keep his voice level and reasonable sounding. "Every child knows their parents names, Becca. Even a last name. What is your last name?"

The woman frowned in thought. "I...I must have forgotten it. Heudros never used it. He has always only called me 'Becca'. And I already told you, I don't remember anything from before the fire."

"You said you were away from home when the fire happened. Where were you?"

Becca thought. "I don't remember. I suppose at a friend's house." Becca took a step back from him. "You are trying to confuse me." She stated in an even slightly higher pitched tone than her last one.

Orion held his hands up. Time to redirect. "No, I'm not." He stated. "I told you I had something to tell you that was important, Becca. But before I do, you have to understand the lie you've been living. That whatever Heudros told you about your past, it was a lie."

"Why then?" She ask firmly, but in the same higher pitched tone. "Why would he lie about all this? For what reason?"

"To keep the truth from you." Orion stated. "So that you would never question anything too deeply. That was something Heudros simply could never allow." He paused for a brief moment before continuing. "Becca, I told you I would tell you the truth," he finally went on, "and that I could prove what I say. But in order for me to do that, I need you to do something for me."

The woman regarded him cautiously. "What?"

"I need you to bring Katlin here."

****

PLEASE SEE PART C.


	74. Chapter 74

A/N: And meanwhile, still back at the ranch...,

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

****

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN C: REVELATIONS PART C

Becca seemed taken aback by the request. "Katlin? Why?"

"Because she will help prove to you what Heudros told you is a lie."

Becca sighed quietly as she stared at the side wall for a few moments, as though lost in thought. But finally she turned back to Orion, and at almost the same instant, Katlin appeared at his side, with Orion just catching her as she lost her balance to her sudden disorientation.

Katlin nearly voiced her feelings on her sudden and unexpected relocation when Orion grabbed her by the arm and turned her almost roughly to face him.

"Love, I need you to listen to me."

Katlin went very still. The words were just words to her. Their meaning something entirely different. Orion never tried to order her to do anything. He knew the consequences of that act all too well. Ordering his strong-willed wife was likened to waving a red flag at a bull. But whenever Orion used this particular phrase, it sent up warning flags for her. Whatever he wanted, it was important. And whatever it was, she wasn't going to like it.

Watching comprehension steal across her face, Orion took a slow deep breath. At least she was mildly prepared for what he was going to ask of her.

"Katlin," he said in a slow, even voice, "tell me what you looked like as a child. Before the fire. What did you look like?"

Orion could literally feel her bulk under his hands as her face went slightly pale. In all the years of their marriage, this was one subject Orion had learned was best avoided at all costs. Katlin hated talking about the fire. Even more, she hated dwelling on what she referred to as 'might have been's' or 'what if's'. What might her life have been like if the fire never happened? What if she had married? Would she have had children? Would they be witches or wizards? What if they had been born squibs?

But the biggest question she never wanted to ever discuss in any way was 'what might she have looked like if she hadn't been burned in the fire?'. For some reason Orion had never quite been able to fathom, the question upset her like nothing else ever could.

"Why?" She ask quietly. "Why are you asking me this?"

Orion focused a solid stare on her, directing her attention back to his words. "Katlin, I need you to listen to me."

But Katlin slapped his hands away from her. "No. Not for this. Never for this. How could you?" She cried, backing away from him. "How could you dare ask that of me?"

Orion knew what he was asking was upsetting for her. Something she absolutely did not need at this point in time. But he was simply too close to stop now. If Katlin could just realize what he was trying to do, maybe he could answer a lot of questions in the next few minutes.

Orion turned her around to face Becca for the first time. But rather than her attention going to the woman in front of her, it shifted quickly to the pile of dark robes just in front of her.

"Bo?!" She cried, quickly kneeling next to him with her husband's help. "Bo! How are you? Are you OK? Did she hurt you?" Katlin immediately enveloped the boggart in her arms as she nearly hugged the life out of him. "Oh, you poor thing. We'll get you home very soon. Back in your nice, quiet home."

The boggart for his part only trilled softly in response.

"Love," Orion spoke softly in her ear as he still held onto her arms, directing her slowly back to her feet, "before that can happen, I need you to do something for me."

He felt her stiffened at his words.

"Tell me why." Was all she ask.

"You'll understand very soon, Love." He replied. "Just...look at Becca, and tell me what you looked like."

Katlin settled her eyes on the woman before her. She stared at her for some time, but then slowly took a deep breath as she began to speak. "I wasn't very tall." She said in a low, controlled voice. "About five and a half feet. I had a plain face, 'heart shaped' my mother used to tell me. But it was very thin. And I had very hollow cheeks. Something I didn't think made me very pretty at all. And my hair was straight, and dark brown. Almost black. My pa always said it was brunet..." Katlin suddenly stopped as she stared harder at the woman before them. Almost as though she was seeing her for the first time. "It was brunette." She added in a now slow, whispered voice. "And I always liked to keep it long. Almost to my waist. And my eyes...my eyes were the only thing I wouldn't let Voldemort change. They were violet..., like they are now. Like yours."

She added in the same whispered voice as she stared at the woman before her.

"All right." Orion stated. "Now, age yourself about 15 years and tell me what you see."

Katlin stood stock still as she studied the woman before her. "But that's simply not possible." She said in an all but muted tone.

****

Q&A

CelticHeiressFiona:

****

Holy fizzle and a shizzle. Well that blew me outta the water just to let you know. At first I was gonna recommend Stockholm Syndrome but whoa this just is so much better. Awesome chapter!

Don't rule out Stockholm Syndrome entirely, Dear. Who's to say there isn't a little bit of that mixed in here as well? After all, what does it take for a person to remain with someone who abuses them as much as Heudros does Becca?

I hope I continued to surprise you in this chapter.

ilovesiriusblack:

****

Hmm interesting chapter. I've been reading your responses to other reviewers and they've really made me think, has Becca ever known anything other than the life she has now? Is that why killing doesn't bother her and she doesn't seem to mind being treated like dirt because she thinks thats what life is supposed to be like having known nothing else?  
I'm glad to see I was on the right track with Heudros and Katlin but I'm still in the dark as to why he'd do it unless he is some kind of seer?  
As always can't wait for a new chapter.

(PAR stands up and has a cheerfest in ilovesiriusblack's honor!)

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you, Dear! Have a gold star! (Gold star that keeps getting deleted by FFN for some reason.)

I wondered for weeks how long it would take someone to catch on to this fact!

OK. A few facts laid out.

One, has Becca ever known anything other than the life she has now? No. Absolutely not. She has only ever known Heudros and what he tells her.

Next, is that why killing doesn't bother her and she doesn't mind being treated like dirt because she thinks that is what life is suppose to be like having known nothing else? No and yes. No, it is not entirely why killing doesn't bother her, and yes, it is why she doesn't mind the way she is treated.

Follow with me here.

Becca doesn't mind killing, not because of the life she's led, but because it honestly doesn't mean anything to her. Becca hasn't had enough experience in her life (which has been seriously short) to grasp the concept of 'killing' and 'death'. They are very abstract terms to her, and ones she doesn't much care about. Orion has often described killing and Becca in the best possible terms. "To her, it's really just sort of a problem solving tool." No one has ever explained to the poor woman what such an action and its consequences really mean for the person at the receiving end. To her, someone is causing a problem for Heudros. She kills them. They are no longer a problem. Problem solved. Very simple, you see.

If it was all her own doing, she'd be a class A rated psychopath. As it is, she's just a little misinformed.

As for how she is treated, yes, Becca allows it because she doesn't know anything else. And she has stated this time and time again. She allows Heudros' abuse because to her, he is her master and he is allowed to 'correct' her. She thinks this is how all 'servants' are treated. But now Becca is seeing something very different in how Orion treats Bo, his 'servant'. Something she's confused by, but also very intrigued with. And that concept is going to play a very large part in upcoming chapters.

By 'being on the right track with Heudros and Katlin', I a, assuming you mean with Heudros being the wizard who originally came to her village.

If so, then trust me, you haven't heard the whole story yet. And even by the end of this chapter, all the pieces aren't in place yet. Heudros' connection to Katlin is a very deep and very sinister one, and one that will likely even shock Orion when the final truth comes out.

Is Heudros a seer? No. But his reason for coming to Katlin's village was very well planned out.

Did it have to do with Katlin's future?

Yes.

The one Heudros saw for her?

No.

Try more the one he planned for her.

Again, cheerscheerscheers to you, Dear, for a well thought out guess. You and MasterLupin should get together. Between the two of you, I'd have a heck of time finishing this story off with any surprises left in store.

skahducky:

****

So Orion thinks the lair was just to test Bo's power? That's pretty interesting, especially since they did the same thing to Becca. I'm really glad Sirius is still around. Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

Among other things.

Wellllll..., yes and no. The lair (castle) wasn't really to test Becca's powers, as this chapter showed. It was her prison. But it was for that reason that Bo had such a hard time getting into it and manipulating his powers once inside of it.

Was it in part to test Bo's powers? Yes, based solely on its original set up. Heudros set the castle up to dampen down Becca's powers. Although he wasn't sure at the time, he hoped that it would have the same effect on Bo. The fact that it did simply served to prove to Heudros what he suspected about Orion's boggart.

Sirius is still around, but he is, as he always was, not the main focal point of this story. Sorry.

MasterLupin:

****

Hmm, well I can't make a long term prediction yet. But a short term one would be that the next several chapters revolve around freeing Bo.  
As for Bo: to counter point you; I am sure you have heard the phrase "there is nothing cruller then a child." That is why Bo could have the combat advantage, why not use a petulant three year old non corporeal bringing in combat it could be the ultimate weapon.  
As for who could beat Dumbledore in a game of chess, IBM's Deep Blue chess playing computer could. It is the best chess playing computer in the world

Well, sort of. Actually, they revolve more around freeing someone else. But it amounts to nearly the same thing.

Well, as Orion pointed out, Bo's been around long enough to form a few ideas of his own. One being, killing is a bad thing that should be avoided at all costs. However, as was countered here by the same character, "it's still not to say that one day, if he (Bo) got really angry over something, that he wouldn't...deal with it."

Three year olds...their so darned hard to second guess!

The point is, you can't cover every contingency when trying to predict someone's actions. Especially those of a precocious, hyper-active, three year old.

So, could Bo one day get into a situation where he decides the best solution is to show you what non-corporeal really feels like? Anything is possible, Dear.

You know, I once joined a chess club in high school. After playing me, the teacher who rant he club declared that I would likely be the best chess player in the world because my moves were so illogical, no one could predict them.

Maybe I should take on IBM's computer.

drucie:

****

I just read the entire story today so I was waiting until I was finsished before reviewing. I love the story...and I agree...I think Bo is one of my favorite characters...hope he is ok. Just curious though...why haven't they used the portkey that Dumbldore gave Harry to back to Hogwarts?

WOW! All 71 chapters in one day? Color me impressed!

Thank you, Dear. Bo is definitely a reader favorite. A fact that I am very proud of. It's very hard to get readers in a fanfiction to accept an OC with such open arms as Bo has been.

Good question! All I can say is the port key does come back into the story. But as Dumbledore told Harry when he gave it to him, it was only to be used in the utmost emergency. Orion hasn't seen the situation escalate to that level yet.

All reviews are as of 06/24/2007.

And remember;

Just a hint of warning. We are almost through the first month of Hurricane Season for Florida, and whereas we haven't really had diddle yet, we also haven't had much rain here.

Not a good sign.


	75. Chapter 75

A/N: Did I lie? Were the last three chapters not just chocked full of good stuff?

Well, if you liked those, you're gonna love this one.

Also, I'd just like to say Happy Anniversary to my parents! Go Mom and Dad!

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT: DECISIONS

"Fifteen years in the future." Orion whispered in her ear. "This is what you would have looked like."

"Why?" Katlin ask in an awed hush. "Why would he have done this?"

But instead of answering her, Orion turned his eyes back to the woman standing before them. "Becca," he ask, "you agree there is no way Katlin could know anything you just told me about your life?"

Becca considered the rather strange statement before finally nodding to it.

"All right." Orion stated, turning now to his wife. "Katlin, Love, I need you to tell Becca about what happened to your parents."

Katlin nearly fell off balance she turned back to him so quickly. "What?!" She stated sharply. "Why?!"

"Katlin, would I ask if it weren't important?" Orion replied calmly. "And no elaborating the extras. Just tell her what I ask."

Katlin stared up at him for a few seconds, then turned slowly back to the woman. "My parents," Katlin stated in a slow, overly controlled voice, "were murdered when I was 15 years old."

"How, Love?"

"They died when our house was set on fire by the people in our village."

Becca took in the information without so much as a batted eyelash. But from her expression she was most definitely listening.

Orion brushed her hair back from her ear as he leaned closer to her. "And why did the people of your village murder your parents?"

Katlin closed her eyes. "Because they were made to."

"How?"

"A wizard came to our village. And he used spells and lies to manipulate them until they turned against us."

"And who was that wizard?" Orion ask.

"Heudros." Katlin replied in a near silent voice. "Heudros was the man responsible for murdering my parents."

"Orion turned his attention to Becca. "Any of that sound familiar?"

Becca said nothing in reply.

"Are we done?" Katlin ask in a voice that implied they were whether her husband had more questions or not.

But before Orion could even answer, a low, soft trill caught Katlin's attention.

"Bo?"

As focused as Orion had demanded her attention to be, Katlin had not even seen the boggart until then. But now she quickly pushed away from her husband and turned her full attention to Bo as she crouched once again next to him, gently whispering to him as she stroked the material covering his head much as Orion had done.

"He has not been harmed." Becca was quick to point out.

"That would be good." Orion replied, never taking his eyes off of his wife or the boggart. "Because if you had, lady, you would be answering to me."

Becca huffed at the threat as though it meant little to her. But to Orion her words said something very different. "He has been kept here, and I was sent to watch over him. He has not acted inured in any way. In fact, all he has done is...sit. Unless I came near to him."

Orion turned to her in interest. "And then what did he do?" He ask.

Becca looked actually reluctant to answer at first as she crossed her arms in front of her. "He...he started making gestures." She finally replied. "And that trilling sound he makes."

Orion smiled at the information as he turned back to Bo. "Hey!" He stated with a small smile. "What are you trying to do here? Make a new friend?"

Bo trilled softly back in the same sad, hurt tone.

Orion turned briefly back to Becca. "He was trying to talk to you." He explained at her puzzled frown. "Gestures and trilling are how Bo communicates. That's probably how he thought you did too."

"Me?" Becca looked for all the world as though Orion had insulted her. "Why would he think such a thing?"

Orion paused for a moment. "Because you're the first of his own kind Bo has ever met." He replied. "Nothing I can think of in this world could make him happier than to discover another of his own kind here."

"Here?" Becca ask with the same puzzled frown.

"You and Bo don't come from our realm, Becca." Orion tried to explain. "I'm not really sure where you come from to be truthful. I wasn't the one who called Bo into being and I wasn't there when Heudros called you. So I can't say in all honesty exactly where you come from. But I know that before my father gave the 'Power' a corporeal body, which is Bo's boggart side, it existed solely as a parasitic entity, only able to anchor itself here with the help of a host."

Becca quickly shook her head. "You are trying to confuse me." She said. "Perhaps Heudros was right. Perhaps it is wrong that I listen to you."

Orion held a hand up. "Becca, wait. I told you I could prove what I tell you. Most of it at any rate. But you have to be willing to hear me out."

Becca stared back at him, considering his words carefully.

"Are you ready to listen to me, Becca?" Orion ask.

The woman stood for a few moments simply staring at the Unspeakable in silence. But finally she gave a small nod.

"All right. Now understand, Becca, part of what I'm going to tell you I'm only guessing at. I admit that straight out. The only person who can confirm anything I tell you is Heudros himself. But I'll tell you what I suspect based on my own experience with one of your kind. Bo."

Becca only nodded again. But Orion was pleased to note the only emotions he sensed in her were fear and apprehension. This time there was no anger, no walls she was raising to keep him out, and no outright denial. In short, she was indeed, listening.

"All right. Let's start, as they say, at the beginning. You say your first clear memory was of Heudros calling you?"

Becca nodded.

"I think that memory wasn't just your first clear one, Becca, I think it was your first one, period. Heudros' call was his casting the spell that brought you into being. The last part of that spell is that you have to be called."

"How did he know my name?"

"He didn't. He gave you one and attached you to it, so to speak. Your name is no more than a word in a spell. The spell is designed so that whatever word is spoken at a certain place in that spell, it is the word you respond to. In your case, Heudros made that word your name."

"Does your boggart come to his name?"

Orion turned briefly to the pile of robes still being coddled by Katlin. "Bo? No. 'Bo' isn't the name assigned to him in the spell, Becca. It just...sort of a nickname we gave him. You know...'Boggart' - 'Bo'."

"So what is his name?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"I just told you. A 'Power's' name is a leash to them. Anyone who has it has a certain amount of control over them. Only one person knows Bo's real name, and that is his host. The name is past from one host to another. My father, who is Bo's current host, knows his name. But it will die with him. Bo then, will be the only person who knows his real name and he can give it to whoever he wants."

"Why do you do such things?" Becca stated. "He is your servant. You give him too many liberties. Such a thing is not good for him."

"Why not?" Orion ask. "Or better, why did Heudros tell you such things were not good?"

"Servants serve. That is what their purpose is. These...liberties...they foster rebellion. They give way to a servant thinking above himself."

"Or for himself." Orion countered. "Becca, first off, Bo isn't my servant. We've been through this one already several times. He is my friend. And I treat him as such. He is an intelligent, sentient being who, although he needs a little help living in our physical realm, has the right to do so on his own terms. He's a living being. He deserves a life of his own."

Becca simply huffed at the answer.

"All right, back to where we were." Orion said, redirecting off of a subject she obviously wasn't ready to deal with the concept of. "Heudros called you into being. Tell me what happened after that memory. Do you remember being with someone?"

Becca cocked her head to the side. "Being with someone?"

"Yes. Do you remember having a host?"

The woman's expression grew more puzzled. "Host?"

"Surely Heudros was her host." Katlin supplied in a tired sounding voice.

Orion shook his head. "I don't think so. He's way to ignorant of her abilities to be her host. Someone else had to be. Becca," he ask, directing his attention back to her, "when you first came into being, didn't you have someone else you...followed around? Someone who was always with you, day and night. Always at your side?"

But Becca shook her head. "There has never been anyone else. I have always been myself. By myself. The only person who was ever with me for long periods of time was Heudros. But even he would go away." She added, looking about the room they still stood in. "At those times, he would leave me here, in the castle."

Orion saw opportunity knocking and decided to forego the current subject while he ran to answer the door. He had an idea about what purpose the castle served, but he wanted to see just what Becca knew about her so-called 'home'. "Explain the castle to me, Becca."

"The castle?"

"Yes. Why did Heudros have the castle? He obviously didn't live there."

The woman drew herself up indignantly. "Of course not. The castle was my home."

Orion saw his suspicions becoming more reality based. "Yours?"

"Well," Becca admitted slowly, as though thinking the facts over, "Heudros designed it. When he..." she paused, considering her words as she hit another mental stumbling block she still hadn't quite gotten her mind around the idea of yet. "When Heudros...created me..."

"Heudros didn't create you, Becca." Orion corrected her gently. "He brought you into being. You've always existed. This is simply the first time you've experienced a cognizant form. Don't give Heudros more credit than he's due."

Becca gave him a small nod. "Just the same," she went on, "he said the castle was a safe place for me to live. That outside of it I could get hurt. I was never to leave the castle without his permission or that of the others, and I was never, ever to leave it without them."

"Did you ever leave the castle with Heudros?"

Becca shook her head.

"What about when you met us in the corridor? You weren't in the castle then?" Orion ask.

Becca shook her head again. "The corridor was designed as part of the castle." She answered, verifying another of Orion's suspicions. "To keep me safe, I never leave the castle. It is where I am protected, Heudros said. It is my home. My protection."

"This castle isn't your home or your protection, Becca. It's your prison."

"Prison?"

"Have you ever left it?"

"I told you, no. Heudros said..."

"...it was for your protection." Orion finished for her. "I heard. But my guess is more likely Heudros not only used the castle to contain you, but heaven forbid you ever got a look at the outside world."

"The outside is very dangerous." Becca countered. "People there would want to hurt me. I am safe in the castle."

"Well, he was almost right there. There are people out there who would want to hurt you, Becca. Use you and your power for bad things."

"All right, so Heudros brought you into being, fashioned a body for you, makes you a lovely gilded cage to live in, and sets you to work for him. What about Harry? Where does Harry fit into this grand scheme of Heudros'?"

Becca seemed to consider the question for a moment. "Heudros feared that before he could complete his work, others would try to stop him. He told me he needed protection from this happening and explained to me how to work the Fidelius Charm."

"So Heudros used you to make Harry his secretkeeper?"

The woman nodded.

"But why Harry?" Orion ask.

"Heudros ask me to find him someone who I felt would make a good secretkeeper for him. He also told me that the others who might seek to harm him could be very powerful, and he wanted a sort of general exclusion type of spell woven in with the Fidelius charm. But he said he wanted me to work this spell for him. That it would give me good practice with my new-found magical abilities."

"That and the fact that with a flashlight, two hands, and a faithful guide, Heudros still wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in the Mediterranean of finding such a spell, let alone probably working it correctly." Orion reasoned out. "So you worked up a spell where Heudros stayed hidden from the world at large no matter what. No one could find him, period."

Becca nodded. "But the spell was only as good as the secretkeeper. If the person who held that post were to be captured by Heudros' enemies and made to reveal what they knew, the spell was worthless. So I thought of a way to prevent that." She added with one of the few genuinely proud smiles Orion had ever seen her use.

"Use a secretkeeper who didn't know he was one, who couldn't tell anyone even if he did, and who would likely forget he was one by the time he could tell anyone." Orion stated. "Very clever, Becca."

"But it wasn't just that easy." She pointed out. "In order to do that I needed a small child who still harbored a reasonable amount of power. Who showed potential to be a powerful wizard. Power that I sensed in a young child."

"Harry."

Becca nodded again as Katlin slowly worked her way to her feet with Orion's help.

"Are you all right, Love?" He ask solicitously.

Katlin nodded slightly. "I'm just tired. But Orion," Katlin went on, returning to the former subject her husband seemed to have completely forgotten, "what about the issue of Becca's Host? If Heudros wasn't her host, and she doesn't remember one, is it even possible Becca never had a host?"

Orion shook his head. "Oh, she had one, Love. Or, if I'm right, Heudros planned one. But things went wrong in that plan and he ended up having to seriously compromise his spell. And so the problems started."

"Compromise?" She ask.

"Love, I think Heudros did have a host picked out for Becca, but unfortunately she died in a fire. Or at least he thought she did."

Katlin stared up at him. "Me?" She ask. "Heudros had planned to use me as Becca's host? Why?"

"I think for the simplest reason of all. Because you were there.

Heudros was traveling around while he worked on his spell. He couldn't have come up with it on his own. Roland said he wasn't that great a wizard to begin with. And he didn't get it from my family. So he must have worked up his own version. Going from place to place, he compiled information from different people on how such a spell might work. One that could make a corporeal being out of pure magic. Just as my family did with Bo. When he thought he was ready to try the spell, he must have just arrived in the area of your village. But I don't think he did what he did without reason. I think Heudros had a plan. A very sinister one.

Realizing he needed a host body for his spell, he looked for the most available person."

"Me." Katlin stated quietly.

Orion nodded. "Sadly, yes, Love. You. You told me yourself your village was fairly isolated, which probably only added to its appeal to Heudros. And due to its location, there probably wasn't another magical prospect around for miles for him to try his plan out on. But he didn't need one. Because he had you. A young witch, talented in her own right, and most importantly to him, an only child. To him it was a simple matter to turn you into an orphan and take you, no questions ask."

"But he didn't use me in the end."

"He thought you died in the fire along with your parents. Nasty hitch in his plans."

"So what happened then? He had no host. How could he go forward with the spell?"

"Plan B, is my guess."

"Plan B?"

"Heudros decided if he didn't have a body, he'd make one. Bo has told me several times he can sense Becca, but nothing else."

Katlin gave him a quizzical stare. "What does that mean?"

"There's nothing else there, Love. This body," he indicated, waving a hand at Becca, "is just a body. A shell, if you like, made to house a non-corporeal being. I suppose my father could have done the same for Bo. But he wanted more of an anchor for Bo in this realm. So he used the boggart. Becca, with this body, has a much less firm foothold here than Bo does."

"But I remember Heudros calling me." Becca put in.

Orion turned to her. "So you've said."

"But I remember waking up. You ask me what my first clear memory was. It was Heudros calling me, and I woke up."

Orion's brow formed a deep furrow. "You woke up?" He repeated, suddenly thinking over the implication of her words a bit more thoroughly.

"Is that important?" Katlin ask.

"It could be." He replied, still mulling over the information. "Mostly it just confirms my suspicions that Heudros created this body first, and then called Becca. Which is exactly the opposite of what my father did. So Heudros already had a home for the 'Power' to move into, but it wasn't a person."

Katlin watched as Orion's frown grew deeper. "Why does that worry you?" She ask.

"Because," he replied "from everything I'm putting together, Becca literally has no Host. She has a corporeal form, but it was never a person."

"But what about the spell we saw the others performing. Maybe one of them...?"

Orion waved off her speculation. "That spell was a Channeling spell. Like the one Bo taught to me with a few modifications. But it was still the basic spell. All that spell did was allow the thirteen to channel Becca's power into themselves. Nothing more."

"Can she not have a Host?" Katlin ask.

"It's possible." Orion replied, still thinking over whatever problem he was trying to work out. "But I'm also pretty sure its not a good thing."

But whatever problem Orion was trying to figure out the solution of, his train of thought was suddenly derailed when Becca suddenly turned about as though something behind her had suddenly caught her full attention.

"I am being summoned!" She stated, taking a step toward the back of the room.

Orion quickly brought his hand up. "Becca, wait!"

With hands balled at her sides in frustration, Becca gave him an exasperated look as she turned back to him. "I am being summoned!" She stated more firmly. "I must go!"

"That fine." Orion replied calmly. "And I wouldn't for the life of me keep you from going to Heudros. But do three things for me before you leave."

Becca merely stared back at him, impatience pouring from every outlet.

"One, take Bo and me with you." He said.

Again the woman simply stared back at him for a moment, her expression betraying nothing. "Why?" She ask finally with growing agitation.

"You want the truth in all of this, don't you?"

"Yes."

To Orion's astonished relief, she answered without the slightest hesitation. "And I'll help you get it from Heudros."

But this time Becca did pause to think over her actions and their possible consequences. "Heudros will punish me most severely for doing such a thing."

"No he won't, Becca." Orion replied. "I'll protect you from him. I promise."

"Why must we have your ser...boggart there for that?"

"Because I'll need Bo's help to protect you from Heudros."

Becca gave a short laugh. "Him?"

Bo looked up at her and gave a short, soft trill.

The woman regarded the boggart for a few seconds. "He can not stand up to Heudros."

"Don't under-estimate him, Becca. I assure you, Bo can more than stand up to Heudros."

Becca pulled herself up and crossed her arms in front of her. "If he is so powerful, then why has he not freed himself?"

"My guess?" Orion replied. "He didn't want to."

Becca gave the same short laugh. "What? He preferred to stay here with me?"

Orion gave her a solemn stare. "Exactly."

The woman gave him a curious stare. "What do you mean?"

"Becca," Orion ask, "what did you tell me Bo did the entire time you were with him?"

The woman paused as she thought for a moment. "He...he kept making gestures."

"He was trying to talk to you, Becca." Orion explained again. "You are the only one of his kind he has ever met. He was probably desperate to try and communicate with you."

"Then why does he not talk?"

"He can't." Orion replied with a slightly sad tinge to his tone. "One of the mistakes we made in giving Bo this form for a corporeal body was that he can't talk to us. But it was never a problem until now. My father speaks to Bo through his connection to him as his host. And you've seen how I talk to him. You're the first person Bo's tried to communicate with on his own. So you see, Bo stayed here with you because he wanted to. It was his choice."

"Then let him take you to Heudros."

"Bo doesn't know where he is. You do. If I let Bo do it, he would have to waste valuable time 'looking' for Heudros. You can take us right to him."

Becca paused, but then nodded slightly. "But I would not think it would please you to see him."

"Well, he won't be pleased to see us either, so it all works out in the end."

"All right. I will take you to him. But only to learn more of this 'truth' of yours. What else do you wish of me?"

Orion turned to Katlin, who was more or less leaning against him now. He could feel the fight she was waging with her deteriorating strength just to stay on her feet.

Orion turned back to Becca. "Send Katlin back to Hogwart's. Back 'home'."

Katlin immediately pulled around. "Orion..."

But Orion quickly laid a finger to her lips. "Love, please. You're still sick. You need more help than Sirius can give you. Please, let her send you back if she can. I can't help Becca if I'm worried about you. Please."

Katlin stared at him for a few moments. She didn't want to leave. To have Orion face Heudros alone with only Bo for support. But she knew at this point she likely would be more of a hindrance than a help. Slowly she gave another tired nod.

Orion quickly turned to Becca. "Can you send her back?"

"I have offered again and again to send you all back." The woman replied. "But you are right to ask this. She is not well. And she still harbors the sickness in her body. If you wish, I will send her back to your home."

Orion turned to Katlin. "You go and find Dumbledore. Tell him what happened to you. He'll see you're taken care of, all right?"

Katlin nodded slightly.

Orion bent to place a kiss on her forehead, and in the next instance, she was gone. He turned back to Becca. "Thank you." He said quietly. "I am very grateful for that."

"You do not fear I did otherwise?" She ask quizzically. "I could have sent her anywhere."

Orion shook his head. "I trust you to keep your word." He answered. "You said you would send her home, and I believe you."

Becca considered the answer, then turned her attention quickly back to the matter at hand as though dismissing the former statement entirely. "You wished three things." She commented dryly. "What is the third?"

Orion steeled himself up for a fight on the last matter. "Becca, when we meet with Heudros, I want you to do one thing for me."

Becca eyed him carefully. "What thing?"

"Whatever Heudros asks you to do, I want you to refuse."

The woman all but leapt at him. "Refuse!" She stated in a tone just one mark down from a shriek. "Are you totally without your senses suddenly?! Heudros will...he will take my magic from me for such an offense. Already I have kept him waiting too long wasting time with you and your requests. I have done what you ask so far! I have agreed to take you to him. I sent the other home. Why this?!"

"To prove a point to you, Becca." Orion replied calmly.

"What possible point could such an action have?"

"That Heudros can not, in fact, take your magic away from you."

"No!" Becca shook her head, then turned back to Orion with an almost pleading gesture as she held her hand out.. "You are asking too much this time. It is not a risk that costs you anything. But I stand to lose everything to such an act. Do you not understand? He will take my magic from me. He gave it to me. He can take it away again."

Orion did his best not to sound defensive. "Becca, Heudros did not give you your magic. You are his magic. So he can no more take it away from you than...than I can. Now, I said I could prove that to you, but you have to accept the terms of that proof. And part of those terms are that if I am to be able to prove this to you, Heudros has to be given reason to threaten to take your magic from you. But listen to me! I promise you...he won't do it, Becca. He'll threaten it. He'll swear he'll do it. He'll do everything he can to control you with that possibility. But he will not do it."

"How can you be so sure?"

Orion gave her a small smile. "For the simplest reason of all, Becca. Because he can't."

Becca considered the request again, but then finally gave a slight nod. Without any other move on her part, Orion suddenly found himself, Bo, and Becca now standing in a different room.

Heudros stood with his back to them, and Orion quickly noted that the area of the room Becca had apparated them to was the one that placed them as far from the man as possible.

Turning around, Heudros opened his mouth to speak, but the words somehow got lost. But the wizard quickly regained his hold on the situation, and, taking a brief stock of things, finally allowed his attention to settle on one person.

"Becca!" He all but shouted at her. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Orion quickly held a finger up to the man. "Heudros? Can I give you some advice?" He ask.

The wizard turned to him.

"Shut up."

The man looked taken aback at first, but then turned a solid stare on the Unspeakable. "And you would do well to show more respect to your betters, Mr. Black."

"My only 'better' here, Heudros," Orion replied, fixing a small smile on the woman standing next to him, "is Becca. And I will show her all the respect she wants."

The wizard gave a loud laugh in response. "Becca? Your better? Then you are a sad wizard indeed, Mr. Black. Becca!" Heudros ordered. "Come here!"

The woman started forward out of what Orion was sure was pure habit.

But suddenly, to his surprise and pleasure, she abruptly stopped. A look of indecision crossed her feature for a moment, but then slowly she stepped back beside him and pulled herself up to face her master.

"No!"

****

Q&A

Lee Swain:

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Awesome story , i Love Bo he is cool, very inovative thinking on making a "Bogart" like him. cannot wait to read more great job!

Thank you, Dear. Always appreciate a kind review.

ilovesiriusblack:

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Ahh Bo is so cute like a giant teddy bear you just want to give him a hug! I really can see no way in which heudros would willingly give up Bo. Ok so he might not be able to use him but i bet hes one of those people who think if i can't have it no one can, which leads to the question is she lying? Or does her master not know of her actions? With the threat Heudros has hanging over her would she really go out of her way to help people she doesn't even sem to like? I say seem to like as in advance of these new chapters all she has shown towards them is anger. Also why is she waiting for their permission?By bringing Katlin to them she has shown that she doesn't need their individual consent.  
Ok I'm back tracking I have no idea why Heudross would kill Katlin's family. The story he has given Becca wouldn't stand up if she were to go back and check around the village, someone would be old enough to remember the truth.Oh wait did Katlin destroy the village with Voldemort? But then Heudros couldn't have known that would happen if he didn't know Katlin was alive.  
Waves hands in defeat I don't think I'm going to work this one out.  
As always a great chapter and looking forward to the next one, I am proudly hanging my gold star on the wall and hoping that the hurricane isn't too bad.

Oddly enough, a lot of people feel that way about Bo.

Well, true, Heudros can not 'use' Bo. In the line up on the food chain of who commands Bo, Heudros is the thing that everyone else eats.

If I wanted to wrap this story up real fast, all I would have to do is bring Talon into it. At that point, it would literally be a simple matter of Talon going up to Bo and telling him how he would like things to be and telling him to (if I may quote Captain Pickard) 'Make it so'. That is the power Bo truly yields under the guidance of his host.

Is she lying about what, Dear?

Does Heudros know what Becca is doing all the time? No. Try thinking of Heudros and Becca in these terms. Becca is like a very sleek, very fast, very powerful sports car. Heudros is like a fifteen year old who steals it for a joy ride. Point being, Heudros has really bitten off more than he can ever possibly chew with Becca, and Orion is just starting to realize that. What's worse, is so is Becca. Has Becca intentionally been doing things knowing Heudros doesn't know? No. She's just sort of followed her instincts on some things and figured she 'got away with it'. It's only now that she's starting to think differently. That maybe her great, powerful master ain't all that powerful and dang sure ain't all that great.

Becca doesn't 'not like them', nor is she angry at them. She is, in fact, sort of ambivalent towards the group. What they are to her, is more irritating than anything else, and for that reason, she wants them gone. They are, in short, upsetting her quiet little world and she's none to happy about it.

Orion's biggest problem currently is he's aware of that fact and is trying very hard to make sure Becca doesn't decide to use that little problem solving tool she's so good with in dealing with them.

Why is she waiting for their permission? To do what? Send them back home? Because she wants them gone permanently. If she just sends them back, she's pretty sure they'll come back. She'd rather take the time to convince them such a thing is a waste of time. Hence, she figures if they leave of their own freewill, they won't come back.

Two things on this next point.

One, yes, Katlin's village was destroyed. But that was solely Voldemort's doing. Katlin had no hand in it.

Second, those points were sort of covered in this chapter. Heudros thought Katlin had been killed in the fire with her parents. He never checked back to find out if that was true or not because by then he had already moved on to what Orion termed 'Plan B'.

Heudros also never bothered to lay down a very solid foundation because he never thought he would have to. He basically just needed to have a story to tell Becca. He never thought it would ever be challenged by her and certainly never by someone who knew the truth. As Orion said, Katlin is Heudros' worst nightmare coming to life. Not only does she (sort of) know the truth, she can rip his whole story with Becca to shreds.

CelticHeiressFiona:

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Awesome chapters again! And yeah now I realize that I shouldn't rule it out. Yeah.

Thank you, Dear.

Indeed. I am the first one to say that Becca is very likely a slight victim of 'Stockholm Syndrome'. She's just way too compliant with whatever Heudros wants her to do all in the effort to please him. She also identifies with him in a big way, but there's a reason for that. Consider that Orion got Bo after several other people had already been with him for their whole lives and left their own imprint on him of their beliefs and values. So at this point Bo is pretty much his own person.

Becca has only ever had Heudros. And in relation to Bo, in many ways, she's just a baby.

skahducky:

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Yeah, I know Sirius isn't the focal point of this story, but I still like it when he's around.  
Wow, this chapter really brought a lot of things about Becca into focus. I can't believe Heudros was the one who killed Katlin's parents just so he could have a good background story to tell Becca when he made her a power. I really like how these things are coming together, though. Heudros, however, is still a problem. Well, I suppose once Becca realizes what's going on, she probably won't be loyal to him anymore, and then Heudros is as good as defeated since he won't have any power left.

Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

I know how you feel, Dear.

Well, as you found out in this chapter, it was a little bit more than that. Heudros actually was planning to use Katlin as Becca's Host, such as he understood the concept. Something that would not have boded well for Katlin. Heudros' idea of a Host is more or less just a body for the 'Power' to reside in. The original person is just excess baggage to him.

Oh, Dear, trust me, Becca not being loyal to him anymore and losing his power base is the best Heudros can hope for as an outcome in all of this.

All reviews are as of 07/01/2007.

And remember;

HappyBirthdaytome, HappyBirthdaytome, HappyBirthdayHappyBirthday, HappyBirthdaytome!!!

GO PAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another year older!

(And no, this is no indication my birthday is July 1st, only that it is this week.)


	76. Chapter 76

A/N: Boring week, guys. Not much to say.

Except,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

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CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE: TEST

Orion was sure Heudros couldn't have looked more surprised if Becca had walked right up to him and slapped him.

But the look quickly disappeared and was replaced by one of utter fury. "What?!" Heudros demanded.

"No." Becca replied in a voice that showed she was testing the limits of her courage to refuse the command.

Heudros' voice lowered to an even, controlled tone. "Becca, you are trying my patience with this foolishness. Now, come here."

The woman remained where she was, fixing a solid stare on the man before her.

The color in Heudros' face changed from light pink to a deeper shade of red. "Becca!" He stated firmly. "I will not ask again. Come here! Or face your punishment!"

Orion felt the woman next to him waver as she took a small, unsteady step forward. He immediately laid an arm across her shoulders and leaned next to her.

"He can't hurt you, Becca. I promised you I wouldn't let him and I won't."

Heudros immediately turned his attention to Orion. "You promised to protect her?" He ask in disbelief, shifting his gaze back to Becca. "And you believed him?!" Heudros gave them both a scornful laugh. "You stupid, stupid girl! Haven't you learned that the only one who can protect you is me?! And for all I have done for you, you would betray me by turning to this...this sad excuse of a wizard for protection?!" Heudros pointed a finger at the woman, who all but cringed back from it into Orion's arm, still draped protectively over her shoulders. "You have truly earned your punishment, Becca. For such an offense I should well and truly take back what I have given you, for you have shown yourself to be an ungrateful child." Heudros pulled back and crossed his arms over his chest, bringing his tone back to one someone would use to confront a disobedient child. "But, as always, I am generous with you. More so than you deserve, surely. But you will be punished for this, Becca. And Mr. Black will witness your punishment. And we'll see if he can 'protect' you."

Orion smiled at the man. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Heudros."

Heudros seemed momentarily wary of the Unspeakable's comment, but then clapped his hands.

Immediately the other thirteen appeared and quickly formed a circle around them.

"Because you have seen fit to defy us, Becca, though I will not take your magic from you, you will be forced to serve the others."

Becca's eyes widened in panic. "But it is too soon!" She all but cried out. "I can not possibly..."

"Silence!" Heudros bellowed at her. "You earned your punishment, Becca. You willfully and freely defied us, following the words of another. Of your masters enemy, no less! Now be silent and accept your punishment or I may see fit to simply remove you from our service all together and choose another to take your place."

Orion watched as Becca meekly bowed her head in submission. He quickly put a finger under her chin and lifted her head again.

"No." He told her. "Don't bow to him, Becca. Don't submit. Fight. He can't hurt you, and neither can they, unless you let them."

"Silence!" Heudros bellowed again. "Stop filling her head with these false ideas, Mr. Black." Heudros quickly turned to Becca in a move Orion found a little too desperate. "Becca, you will cease listening to him. Or your punishment will be greater."

Orion tightened his hold on her shoulders. "He can not hurt you, Becca. I promised that. And I keep my promises."

Heudros seemed to be waiting for Becca decision in the matter. But when she stayed where she was, facing him down with a slightly more determined stare, he turned from her with a scornful dismissal. "Very well, girl, you have earned your punishment." He walked past the others as they closed the circle. "Begin." Was all he told them as he walked out of the circle.

Orion waited to see what was going to happen, not that he didn't already have a good idea. Seconds later the group started their chant. And almost on the same mark, Orion called, "Bo!"

Instantly the tower of black robes moved in front of his two companions.

The thirteen stopped their chanting almost instantaneously. Heudros turned back to face them, his face growing redder by the second.

"You fools!" He stated. "Why have you stopped? Are you so weak you fear a simple boggart?"

Not one of the group's members moved so much as a finger, although Orion kept alert for any movement that may signal danger.

Heudros looked like he was well on his way to mass murder at this point. "Idiots!" He roared at them. "You are all weak and hopeless. I give you more power than you could ever imagine in your pathetic lives, and you cringe in fear from a simple boggart?! You are all unworthy of what I have given you."

"But Heudros," one timid voice spoke up. "You have warned us of the boggart. Not to underestimate his power."

Orion's head snapped around to where the voice had come from. "What?!" Orion had suspected for some time that Heudros' target in all of this had been the boggart, or more accurately, the 'Power' it housed. But the comment from one of the thirteen was more telling to Orion than even a direct confession from Heudros would have been, for it proved the man knew more than he let on about the boggart.

Across the room, the distraction was all Heudros seemed to be looking for. Aiming his wand, a ball of light launched out from it and flew in the direction of the Unspeakable.

"Interfering worm!" He yelled. "You will pay for your acts."

Orion wouldn't have had time to counter the spell. But he also didn't have to. Before the ball reached him, a robe covered hand reached out and caught it in mid-flight.

Pulling the glowing sphere about, Bo leaned over it, as though looking it over, trilling softly as he did so. But suddenly the sphere's light dimmed and within a few seconds it finally it vanished all together, while from under the hood a slight smacking sound could be heard.

Bo immediately extended the now empty hand towards Heudros, who pulled back slightly from it.

"He liked it." Orion told him in a calm if not slightly amused voice. "He wants to know if he can have more."

Heudros looked genuinely disconcerted by the statement, but then pulled himself up to his full height. "I will give him plenty to chew on." He stated empirically. "We'll see if your boggart can face the force of my magic."

Orion gave the man a positively gleeful smile. "Let's see what you've got."

Heudros turned to the others. "Do as I say! Start the spell. It will encase both of them and the boggart will not be able to harm you."

Instantly the thirteen began the chant again, if not at a slightly more rapid pace.

Orion quickly pulled Becca back. "Bo!" He called over the voices of the others. "Protect!"

Around the circle, the thirteen had increased the pace of the chant.

Orion noted the slender body next to him began to tremble slightly. Whatever they were doing, it was starting to effect Becca. But Bo wasn't being idle either. At first he looked simply interested in what the others were doing. But suddenly his form went ridged, as though someone had suddenly poked him long and hard.

A low growl came from under the hood. An instant later Orion watched as a nearly invisible barrier went up, effectively placing itself around them.

Almost at the same time Becca's body stopped trembling and she looked up, amazement in her eyes.

"What has he done?" She ask, turning to Orion as the others continued their chant.

"Nothing you can't do yourself, Becca." Orion informed her.

The woman shook her head. "No." She stated, the awe still in her voice. "I can not use my magic against the thirteen. They are too powerful."

"Becca, the greatest power they have over you are their lies. Stop believing in them and they will lose their power. Trust me."

Becca stared silently at the barrier for several seconds, as though judging the sincerity of Orion's words. But finally she pulled herself up, a new determination shining in her eyes. "How?" She ask.

Leaning down, Orion pointed to the barrier between them and the thirteen. "You see the barrier?" He ask. "Now, just imagine one of your own making. Think of what you want it to do."

Orion watched as Becca closed her eyes and a look of concentration crossed her face. But then she slowly opened her eyes and focused on the barrier. Orion turned a clandestine look to the boggart and gave him a slight wave.

Orion felt the instant Bo dropped the power of his own barrier. A wave of magic swept over them from the force of the spell. But he kept his focus on the woman standing next to him.

"Don't let them frighten you." He told her in a quiet, calm voice. "Just keep thinking of the barrier. Of what you want it to do."

Becca kept her whole focus leveled on the now wavering barrier around them. It shifted and shimmered, dipped and bowed in response to the three forces pushing at it. One from in front and two from behind. But as the look of determination strengthened on Becca's features and the barrier suddenly solidified its stance and the muted waves of the spell getting through stopped completely.

Orion smiled. "Very good, Becca!" He stated triumphantly.

But Becca shook her head. "The boggart is helping me."

Orion turned to Bo, who shook his head in response.

"No, Becca." Orion told her, turning back to her. "Bo began to withdraw his support of the barrier when you started. And currently he isn't lending any support to it at all. You're doing this all by yourself."

A look of wonderment and fascination took over the woman's expression. "Me?" She whispered. "I did this?"

Heudros quickly shoved several of his High Council out of his way as he approached the three with purposeful strides.

"Don't be insane, girl!" He shouted at her. "You know all too well you don't have the ability to do such a thing! The Unspeakable is lying! His boggart is helping you."

A loud razing sound came from under Bo's hood, directed at Heudros.

Heudros gave the boggart a positively loathing stare before turning back to Becca.

"Becca, stop this at once! Accept your punishment and I may still be generous and allow you to keep your magic."

"I thought you said she wasn't responsible?" Orion replied.

Heudros seemed to suddenly realize his error, but recovered with remarkable speed. "The boggart is helping her." He repeated. "But even that will eventually fail, for even with her support added to his, the boggart can not keep the barrier up much longer."

"Really?" Orion stated, turning to Bo. "Bo, Heudros doesn't seem to think you stand much of a chance against him."

The next sound from the boggart was unmistakable. A soft, gleeful giggle came from under the hood.

"Now you see," Orion stated with a sly smile, "now your just entertaining him."

Heudros took a step back. "Keep your distance!" He stated as firmly as his now wavering voice would allow. "Or I will..."

"You'll what?" Orion cut him off with a disgusted tone. "According to your own familiar you weren't anything to take notice of to begin with. Without Becca supporting you, I doubt there's much you could do to worry me."

Heudros gave the man a wide smile. "Are you sure you want to test that theory, Mr. Black?"

Orion returned the smile as he held up his hand. Instantly a large glowing ball of light appeared in it. "Absolutely."

Heudros sized up the situation and apparently did not like the odds he was coming up with.

"Becca," he stated once again, "come here."

Again Becca held her ground. Something Orion noted she was getting more and more comfortable with doing. "No!"

"Do not argue with me, girl! My patience with you is exhausted! Now come here!"

This time Becca didn't even bother refusing him as she simply stood and looked over at him with growing distaste.

"Becca," Heudros stated, lowering his tone until he sounded more like the man trying to reason with a very stubborn child again, "listen to me..."

"No! I am done listening to you, Heudros."

"Becca, I understand how you could get this confused. Mr. Black is very persuasive. He can tell you the things he wants you to hear and make them sound reasonable. Make them sound like the truth. But Becca..., they are lies. I am the only one who has ever told you the truth."

"Truth?" Orion scoffed at the man. "Heudros you wouldn't know the truth if it came up and introduced itself to you."

"Be silent!" Heudros shouted at him. "You are responsible for this! You are the one who led her astray. Perverted her with your lies. Becca," Heudros turned his attention back to her with the same placating voice, "this man has lied to you and told you things that are not true. And why? To serve himself. He was without his servant when he came to you, was he not?"

Becca paused, then nodded.

"And everything he has done has been to get him back? Isn't that so?"

Becca didn't answer this time, but she kept her attention focused on the man in front of her.

"All he wanted was his servant back, Becca. Because without him the man is powerless."

"Becca is well aware of how badly I wanted Bo back." Orion cut in. "But she also knows the real reason for it."

Becca lifted her head slightly. "Mr. Black was worried about his serv...his friend." She explained.

"Friend?" Heudros laughed. "Where do you get these ideas, girl? That creature is Mr. Black's servant. He does what he is told. Nothing more."

Orion turned to Becca. "Is that what you've seen?" He ask. "Bo 'serving' me?"

Becca paused, then shook her head.

"He shows you what he wants you to see." Heudros interjected. "Don't be fooled, Becca. This man is lying to you. He is trying to sway you over to his side. But I am willing to overlook your transgression because I know how persuasive the Unspeakable can be. He has turned you around with his tales and confused you. But if you come back to me, and you come now, I will forgive this oversight and we will take care of this fool together."

Becca seemed to consider the offer as she stood for several moments with her gaze still fixed on Heudros. But eventually she shook her head. "No, Heudros."

Heudros looked like a man only seconds from a serious breakdown. "Becca, I am being very reasonable here," he stated, his voice raising slightly with every word, "but my patience with you is about at an end. Now come to me or I will take your magic from you."

"You do like to keep threatening that, Heudros." Orion replied. "But I have yet to see you do it."

Heudros shifted his eyes briefly to the man standing next to Becca. "Is this the lie he has told you then? That I can not take your magic from you?"

Becca pulled herself up and crossed her arms over her chest as she stared back at the man before her. "As he has said, Heudros, you have yet to do it."

Heudros turned to the ground for a moment before turning back to face Becca. "And you think that is the worse I can do to you? Take your magic from you?"

"I personally don't think it is something you can do at all." Orion put in.

"Be silent, worm!" Heudros demanded. "You have done enough damage here." The wizard turned to the others still standing a short distance back. "Mr. Black is the problem here. Kill him!"

Orion barely had time to bring up his defenses when Becca stepped in front of him and brought her hands up.

"No!" She stated, bringing the barrier up between them and their attackers again.

Orion felt the power of the thirteen hit the barrier like a steel ball being swung into it. The problem, he knew, was that Becca was literally fighting herself, and then some. And in her already weakened state, he doubted she could keep the barrier up long enough to wear down those on the other side. Even after only a few moments, she was showing the strain.

"Bo." Orion turned to the boggart. "Any help here would be appreciated."

One thing Orion had always said about his enigmatic boggart, was that when Bo wanted to make an impression, good or bad, he went about it full force. Stepping up beside Becca, the boggart pulled himself up to his full height and stared down his hooded nose at those on the other side. A small, single wave of his hand and the barrier before them dropped like a chemise veil before a hurricane force wind. With the same hand, Bo pointed to the floor, then raised his hand up. Instantly a wall of flames shot up from the floor.

A shriek of terror went up on the other side of the wall as the thirteen immediately fell back to keep from being charred, although Orion knew full well Bo had such complete control over the fire a person could stand next to it and remain unharmed if he wished it.

But there was no need to tell the others that just yet.

"You stupid girl!" Heudros yelled from his position to the side of them. "You will learn your place!"

Raising his wand, Heudros pointed it at Becca and let loose a spell that flew directly at her. But the ball of light only made it as far as within a few inches of her when it stopped abruptly.

Reaching over her head, Bo plucked the ball out of the air and brought it around in front of her. Holding it in his hand as though it were nothing more than a toy, he offered it to the woman standing next to him.

Becca looked at the glowing sphere, then turned her attention to Heudros. From where he was standing, the wizard looked as though he were now trying to fight his way out of a small box that encircled him.

Before them the fire still burned high and bright, but no heat came from it.

"Is your boggart doing all of this?" She ask, her voice laced with awe.

"And I assure you," Orion answered her "this is just a fraction of what he can do, Becca. What you can do, if your willing to learn."

The woman's eyes turned slowly back to her struggling master. "I want to learn." She said softly.

Orion directed her attention to the glowing sphere Bo still stood holding in his hand, held up to Becca like a prize.

"Take it." Orion instructed her.

Becca stood staring at the glowing sphere as though Orion had just told her to pick up a coiled snake.

"Take it." Orion coaxed her. "It can't hurt you unless you want it to. That sphere is nothing more than a form of magic, and, therefore, a part of you. Tell yourself it can't hurt you, believe that, and pick it up."

Becca stared at the glowing sphere for a few seconds, then slowly reached out. But as her hand made contact with the ball, she pulled back with a sharp yelp.

"It stings!" She cried.

Heudros laughed at the result of the experiment. "Of course, you stupid girl!" He snapped at her. "Because he's lying to you. Now make his boggart release me and I will deal with him."

Becca turned a momentary eye to Heudros. And Orion watched carefully as she made yet another decision on her journey to freeing herself from her masters.

Slowly she turned back to the ball of light, a renewed look of determination on her face. Reaching out, she slowly wrapped her hands about the glowing sphere on either side and carefully lifted it from Bo's hand. She turned this time to meet Orion's smiling approval.

"You're a very quick learner." He congratulated her. "Now, what do you want to do with it?"

"Your...the boggart absorbed this before. Can I do that?" She ask with a note of hesitancy.

"You can do whatever you can imagine with it." Orion replied.

The woman closed her eyes as she held the ball in front of her. Slowly the light began to dim and the sphere itself began to shrink. Within a few seconds the light blipped out and the sphere disappeared completely. A small, satisfied smile came to Becca's lips as she stood with her eyes still closed and her hands held before her.

"That felt...wonderful!" She stated. "It is like a warm glow coursing thorough my body. And I feel...I feel as though my power is stronger now."

"That's what it is to absorb the magic of another, Becca." Orion explained. "In this case, Heudros'."

"This is what the others have done to me all these years." She stated simply. "They took power from me recently. Can I take it back?"

Orion shook his head. "I don't think you would want to, Becca." He replied. "The magic they took from you isn't yours anymore. It's corrupted by their own innate magic. But they can't use it against you either. No one can use magic against you."

The woman gave him a questioning look.

"It's fighting fire with fire, Becca." Orion explained. "How can you use magic against someone who is magic? They may be able to direct the magic with spells, but it's a part of you. It will respond to you first."

"That is how your boggart is stopping Heudros' spells." She suddenly reasoned out.

Orion nodded. "He calls to the magic and it responds to him." Orion explained. "Because it's a part of him."

"Lies!" Heudros shouted from his invisible prison. "All lies, Becca. Destroy them both and prove your loyalty to me."

Orion was almost amused at the no more than passing glance Becca now gave the man before turning her attention back to him. He wondered if it had even dawned on Heudros yet that his one time servant no longer even referred to him as her 'master'.

"And the others?" She ask, briefly glancing at the thirteen now standing more or less huddled together in the far corner of the chamber. "Do they also have no power over me?"

"No more than Heudros." Orion replied.

Becca turned to face them, effectively putting her back to Heudros. But Orion quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back so that her attention was now more evenly divided.

"Never turn your back on an enemy!" He stated coldly. "You are not invincible, Becca. Remember that. Always remember that!"

Heudros took the timing of the impromptu lesson to make yet another try to regain control.

"Attack them!" He shouted at the others. You drained her power from her just a few days ago. They'll never stand against all of you. Use the spell to bind them."

From their corner, the thirteen once more began their chant. But a sudden bolt of light that exploded in their midst and effectively scattered them brought it to an abrupt end.

"You will cease!" Becca declared.

Five of the thirteen nearest to her immediately brought out their wands. But no sooner had they pointed them at their targets than the wands suddenly turned to ash and dissolved into a pile on the floor.

Looking up the five saw the tower of black robes ticking a cloth covered finger back and forth at them.

Orion shook his head as he turned to the boggart. "Will you stop showing off." He stated. "Just deal with the problems at hand."

A small flutter ruffled the cloth before the boggart's hooded face.

Bo turned his attention back to the thirteen, who quickly huddled back once again into the corner as the boggart turned to them.

Abruptly the group disappeared.

Becca turned a startled look back to the boggart. "Where did they go?!"

Bo quickly made several gestures, then turned expectantly to his Channeler, who shrugged at the explanation.

"They're outside the castle now." He translated. "But apparently Bo didn't think they were very safe as a group, so he sort of 'scattered' them."

Becca thought about the implications. A deathly silence fell on the room. But slowly she finally turned her attention back to where Heudros still stood.

Orion watched as the emotions played across the woman's face.

He knew she still didn't believe all he had told her yet, but she was fostering a number of his ideas. And in that belief was a new determination. A determination that, if the look on her face was any indication, was given birth to by sheer anger.

"You have lied to me!" She stated slowly, a sneer etched deeply across her face.

"Becca, you have to listen to me..."

But the woman cut him off. "Decades!" She seethed. "Decades you have lied to me. Manipulated me. Robbed me of my power. Not yours, Heudros! Not something you gave me. Not something you had within yourself. Mine!"

"Becca, stop this at once! Release me and I am still willing to overlook this transgression."

"How very generous of you indeed." Becca drawled out, stepping over to where Heudros still stood encased by the invisible barrier. "Especially when I am not so inclined to return the favor."

Orion noted that at this point Heudros was looking very nervous indeed.

"What do you mean?" He ask.

Becca stopped only inches from the wall of the barrier. ""That I am not willing to overlook your transgressions, Heudros." She sneered at him.

"How...how dare you speak to me so!" Heudros stammered over the words, trying to sound authoritative and doing a truly poor job of it. "Have you...have you completely lost your mind!"

Becca gave the man a completely mirthless smile. "No, Heudros." She replied. "I think I am, in fact, finding it for the first time."

"You will regret this, Becca." Heudros stated in a forced tone that didn't convey one ounce of real threat behind it. "I have been more than tolerant with you, girl!"

"Tolerant?" Becca replied in a harsh tone. "Tolerant? You want to talk tolerant, Heudros? You are still alive! That is tolerance!"

The barb seemed to find one small point of strength still left in the man and sparked it to life. "You stupid, worthless, ungrateful creature!" Heudros leveled at her. "After all I have done for you?! This...this is how you choose to repay me?!"

"What you have done for me?" Becca answered back with a laugh. "You have lied to me. Enslaved me. Used me for your own ends. For all of this I should be grateful?"

"Yes!" Heudros stated. "Grateful! Because before I came along, you stupid creature, you didn't even exist!"

Orion could practically hear Heudros' mental 'Oops!' as his mind caught up with his mouth as he uttered those words.

"You were nothing but a muggle!" He quickly tried to repair the damage.

"Was she?" Orion put in with a small smile. "Or was she anything at all, Heudros?"

The man gave Orion a positively loathing stare. "This has absolutely nothing to do with you. You have caused enough damage for one day." The wizard turned quickly to his servant. "Becca, return to your rooms. Return to them and stay there until I call for you. If you do not, I promise you, you will not see the light of day again. You think taking your magic is the worst I can do to you? It will only be the beginning. I will lock you up in the deepest part of this castle and leave you there. Let you rot away the last of your days with no hope of escape. Do you hear me! Now go!"

Becca stood stock still beside Orion. "Really, Heudros?" She ask calmly. "You're going to lock me up in this castle?"

"I will do it, girl, if you don't return to your rooms right now!"

Becca continued to merely stare at him without so much as the slightest shift in her expression. "Would you like me to show you what I think of your castle, Heudros?"

Unsure of what she was planning, Orion was pretty sure he didn't want to see what Becca thought of her prison at present.

All in all, Orion was very pleased with how well Bo had performed all the tasks he gave him so far. He had never given the boggart such a complex set of instructions before, and lists set to a chronological order were not Bo's long-suit by any means. He was far too distractible for them for the most part.

But so far Bo had performed admirably. He had managed to follow each changing dynamic around him and sensed fairly well when he was needed and when to back off. With the exception that Heudros had managed to fire off spells while behind the barrier Bo had placed around him, something Orion felt the boggart did more to show off than anything as he deftly stopped each one, he had managed to keep them well protected, but also allowed Becca to take up her own fight, bolstering her confidence as she fought in her own defense.

Planning his next step, Orion suddenly felt the floor beneath him shift, then rock slightly. Looking down he saw a large fisher suddenly opening, splitting the floor from one end of the room to the other.

Turning quickly he glanced over at Becca. But the woman was standing with her eyes closed, her face a stone mask of concentration.

The whole castle seemed to shake under some unseen force as a new fisher opened up in the floor, this time running the length of the room to the other side and continuing on, taking out the wall it supported in a collapsing shower of rock and debris.

"You see!" Heudros cried out, still within his imprisoning cell and raising his voice to be heard over the sounds of the destruction around them as another wall came crashing down behind them. "You see what you have done! You can't stop her. No one can! Only I controlled her and now she will not even listen to me. And once the castle is destroyed, she'll be loose on the world. All because of your interference!"

Turning to Bo, Orion gave the boggart a quick tap on the shoulder. "Time to go, buddy." He stated.

Turning to Heudros, Bo gave a slight wave of his hand. The second the barrier around Heudros dropped, Orion was already moving, making a beeline for the man. But the movement caught Becca's attention as she opened her eyes.

"No!" She shouted, directing a spell at the man racing towards her former master. "He is mine."

Orion pulled back just as the spell cut across his path, putting it directly on course to a large stone that shook lose from the wall next to him. The spell hit the rock in an eruption of light and debris.

A piece of the destroyed rock cut across Orion's face, causing him to stumble back several steps with a cry of pain as he brought his hands up to cover the wound as well as shield himself from any other debris.

Reacting to the sound of his Channeler's distress, Bo immediate appeared at Orion's side, taking hold of his free arm as in a flurry of gestures he tried to ascertain what was wrong. But Orion quickly waved him off.

"Get Heudros and get us out of here!" He cried, turning back quickly to see what Becca was doing.

Across the room the woman was cutting a path towards them, waving debris, dust, and falling rocks out of her way as though they were paper.

"Now, Bo!" Orion reiterated.

The boggart grabbed the man before him, pulling Heudros into the enfolding material of his robes.

Just as he stepped back, placing himself within Bo's hold, Orion turned once more to see where Becca was and make sure they would still be able to escape.

As he turned he saw an arm reaching for him. But it suddenly was knocked away as a large stone fell from overhead.

A scream of pain and frustration was the last thing he remembered hearing before the scene went black.

****

Q&A

Lee Swain:

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Great chapter can't wait to read more, i like that Becca is finally seeing the light so to speak. Will she realize how badly she was used and want revenge, or will she turn to Bo for help or Orion? All questions i have lol.

Interesting question, Dear. However, although in this chapter she seems to be taking both roads, consider the old adage that a child is no more than what its parents teach it.

So, lets consider what Heudros has taught Becca.

People are pawns. Their sole purpose is to serve your plans. When they cease to do that and become annoying, you get rid of them.

(Everyone stops and thinks it over.)

General consensus?

(Hand goes up in the back of class.)

Yes?

Heudros is screwed?

Correct! Class dismissed.

MasterLupin:

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Hmm…. FFN didn't post my review on chapter 48. Oh well, sometimes computers are about as reliable in accomplishing a task as a fish. This chapter was an eye opener. I now have a new prediction. I foresee that Katlin will go to Hogwarts and be treated by Madam Pompfrey and Snape. She will then inform Dumbledore of all the recent events that have happened. He will not have any instructions for her other then to go home and spend some time with the kids; he will then begin to ponder about what is going on. Meanwhile, Orion Bo and Becca will confront Heudros, and reveal the true nature of Becca straight from the horse's mouth. There will be a major battle and Heudros will not be victorious. Simultaneously, Heudros' minions unaware of what is going on in the castle will encounter the remaining group's hiding spot, where battle will ensue. Harry and the others will be captured giving Heudros a new bargaining chip, the groups lives especially Harry; Orion will not know what to do, but Becca will act as an independent person and kill Heudros.

That's my prediction and I think it should be about 60-75 accurate.  
Have a Happy 4th of July.

Just a minute! My fish are very accomplished at task accomplishing! I put food in the tank. They eat it. Task accomplished!

Well, before I blamed the computer, I'd look at FFN for losing a posting. Sometimes they're less than up to the minimum standard requirements.

Hmmmm..., (Checks back of computer.)...nope, still no internet connection, so they couldn't have tunneled into my 'Notes' folder...no home break-ins...must be telepathy.

Well, Dear, that's pretty close, but not quite complete.

Katlin does go back to Hogwart's, but remember that when Becca sent her there, she could hardly stand up, let alone take care of five children under the age of 18.

They will be remaining with their grandparents for the time being.

I don't think it's going to take a lot of confrontation on Bo or Becca's part to get Heudros to talk. Point being, Heudros just loves to hear himself chatter.

The group is actually far too well hidden for Heudros' minions to find them. (Translation: I only have a few more chapters to wrap this thing up in.) Therefore 'no', no one is getting captured.

As for the last part, well, that would just give the whole ending away, wouldn't it? So I can't answer that.

ilovesiriusblack:

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Hmm interesting chapter. While i'm glad that Becca is finally standing up to Heudros that fact also makes me quite worried. I'm not sure that I see a big fight coming, surely Heudros wouldn't be stupid enough to think that he could beat Becca and Bo in a fight? So what is Becca supposed to do next? Orion is destroying the only life she has ever known, leaving her to her own devices could be very dangerous but she is not likely to subject herself to another master willingly if she has just found freedom. She also has cery little in the way of moral code to guide her.  
As always looking forward to the next chapter.

Well noted, Dear. Indeed, Heudros is no fool. And only a complete idiot goes up against a six-foot broad sword with a butter knife. Granted, Heudros has his butter knife out, but he is not currently making any threatening gestures with it that concern Bo enough to take serious action.

One may well wonder if Orion is really thinking ahead on this one. True, he is literally destroying the only life Becca has ever known, and she has all the combined morals of a Wall Street investment firm, but she's also very young in the standards of her own kind. Chronologically, she's only 15. Emotionally she's closer to Bo. But whereas Bo is a happy, if not slightly hyper, three-year-old, Becca is a very angry one on the verge of a really major hissy fit.

So the real question here is, once separated from Heudros, what exactly are Orion's plans for Becca? And will he be able to carry them out.

Time will tell, Dear.

CelticHeiressFiona:

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Awesome chapter! And Happy Birthday!

Thank you, Dear. And it was very nice.

Silverfox:

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Happy Birthday:) waggs tail happily  
I love this chapter. (Bo getting cuddled, yay!) How did Becca find Harry, if she wasn't able to leave the castle/ward? Can she search outside without going there or at least seeing it?

Thank you, fox.

Of course he gets cuddled! Who wouldn't want to cuddle a cute little (?) three year old? Especially when he's whining and unhappy? Poor Bo.

Good question, Dear.

Keep in mind, Becca is nothing more than a corporeal form of pure magic, just like Bo.

The only thing that contains her are the wards of the castle. Wards that Heudros has already shown are very 'flexible'. Now, does that mean she can leave their confines? No. But she can search past them without ever leaving home, as it were.

What Heudros ask Becca to do was to find a powerful wizard. Now, in the world according to PAR, wizards and witches give off a 'vibe' based on how powerful they are, regardless of age. Finding Harry based on this premise was about as difficult for Becca as finding a lit 100 Watt light bulb in a completely dark room.

This might also suggest that Becca isn't as naive about the world as she lets on. Not true. Whereas Becca was allowed to perform certain tasks for Heudros that required contact with the outside world, she was always kept on a very tight lease while doing it.

How?

Simple. You make someone so afraid of something they have no desire to get too close to it. This is basically what Heudros did with Becca. He simply presented the world outside her castle as a horrible, dangerous place (pretty accurate, if you ask me), only allow her to ever see things that backed his version up, and Becca was perfectly happy to stay where she was.

So how did Harry end up as Heudros' secretkeeper without anyone knowing what was done? For Becca, a practically limitless magical power, that wasn't very hard. She simply found someone Heudros approved of for the role, and placed the spell. Hardly even worth working up a sweat over for her.

Now, just for a second, lets go back to an early question you had back around Chapter Fifty-two that I eluded to an answer to regarding were Bo and Becca the same thing. I said 'no, they were not'. But the point was the 'same' in what way. With a few more cards on the table now, I'd like to explain that.

Is Bo a non-corporeal 'Power'? Yes.

Is Becca a non-Corporeal 'Power'? Yes.

Are they the same? No.

Why? Again, I could make a list here. One, Bo started out a non-corporeal being and was later given a body. Becca's situation was exactly the opposite.

Also, Bo has a host, Becca does not. That's very important in the question of who has a better foothold in this realm. By the grace of his host, Bo wins hands down there.

Next, if it were to come down to a fight between the two (something, by the way, Orion is trying to avoid like the plague), who would win? With very little doubt, I would say Bo. Why? One simple little factor, folks.

Experience.

Simply look at the manner in this chapter that Bo handles himself. He is very comfortable with who he is and how he handles the power at his beck and call. But he's also never really known anything else.

Becca is just coming into the realization of who and what she is and what she's capable of.

And I'd like to point out that whereas Bo may win, he isn't likely to do so without a few scratches. After all, Becca has already shown she's a real poor sport at losing.

She may lose, but she's going to go out making darned sure you're not happy about winning either.

Skahducky:

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Oh man, I can't wait to see this confrontation.  
Wait, the best Heudros can hope for? Wouldn't losing Becca ruin him?  
Please update soon!

Well, I'm not sure how pleased you were with the 'confrontation', but I hoped you liked the chapter.

Oh, nice question! Won't losing Becca ruin Heudros? Probably.

So why is that the best he can hope for? Well, he may lose her backing, but hey!, he's still alive. Something that is currently irritating Becca to no end.

Remember, Becca has very few problem solving tools, and she's got a real favorite when it comes to how to handle those little irritating factors that crop up in life.

All reviews are as of 07/07/2007.

And remember;

Middle age is when the broadness of the mind and the narrowness of the waist change places.


	77. Chapter 77

A/N: Well, today is my Dad's 85 birthday, folks. So Happy Birthday, Dad! (You should've seen the cake!)

Also, I apologize in advance this is so short. Definitely a contrast to my other chapters as of late. But I had to take a training class at work last week that lasted from 11AM each day to 8:00-8:30PM each night. By the time I got home I was exhausted and went straight to bed.

What you are reading I literally typed up out of my notes just today. Although my stories are complete outline-wise, my chapters are not always so. Like any good work in progress, they get added and deleted as the story progresses and as ideas get added and deleted.

I do regret not beating Mrs. Rowling to publication. That is; mine finishing just as her's came out. But there have been unforeseen delays. But I do wish you all happy reading on Saturday, but, based on the last two books, not counting on it.

That's about all,

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

CHAPTER SIXTY: RETURN

Orion sat in his superior's office, wanting nothing more than to be anywhere else.

It had been just over a week since they returned, and for Orion it seemed more like years.

Currently Orin Bale sat before him, leaned over his desk as he read over the report compiled from the hours the debriefers had spent with Orion after the group's return. Hours that had seriously contributed to his skewed view of time.

All in all, their escape had been blissfully uncomplicated. Bo had done an admirable job of getting Orion and Heudros out of the castle safely and back to the cave in one piece.

"Harry!" Was the first name out of Orion's mouth as soon as he saw the familiar walls of the cave around them.

The teenager hadn't wasted any time to come running.

"Do you still have that stone Dumbledore gave you? The one for emergencies? Because I think we have a perfect qualifier on our hands."

Harry had produced the stone from his pocket and handed it to his uncle.

Making sure everyone was safely accounted for, Orion began the spell to activated the stone and transport them all out of the cave and back to the castle.

The only reasoning he could give for what happened next was that he was distracted.

Trying to make sure everyone was all right, making sure he didn't ever-extend Bo's limited abilities at the time, keeping track of Heudros, trying to ascertain exactly what he needed to do to make sure the stone worked right, and the growing pain from his injury simply overtaxed his own resources. But as he fought off a new wave of pain shooting through his head, a warning cry attracted his attention just in time for him to see Harry flying across the cave, Arabella running to intercept him, and Heudros with his wand pointed at the cave entrance.

The next occurrence was a blinding flash of light that brought down the ward in front of the cave's entrance. Orion brought his own wand up to cut the man's escape short. But Heudros redirected his wand towards Arabella this time.

Orion barely had time to deflect the spell. But by then Heudros was out the entry way and headed off into the woods, screaming for his followers.

Seeing no point in trying to coral the man again, and knowing they were in no position for another fight, Orion simply focused on getting everyone back to the castle safely instead.

Once there, without waiting for questions and allowing even less time for answers, Orion had brought up all the wards on the castle, and with his last conscious act, left Bo in control of keeping them up and charged.

But to his relief, upon awakening the next morning to an anxious looking Madam Pomfrey, Orion had learned from his boggart that neither Heudros, his followers, nor Becca hadn't made so much as a hint of an appearance during the night.

Now, a week later, he sat before his superior, a large, thick white bandage over his left eye as he watched Orin's expression for any hint of what to expect. But it was the equivalent of reading a stone wall. And so Orion consigned himself to simply sit back and wait.

After several more minutes past in silence, Orin finally closed the file and laid it on his desk as he turned to his agent.

"How's the eye?" He ask amiably, as though Orion had just walked in and taken a seat.

"Horace is less than hopeful, as always." Orion replied, referring to the prognosis of the Unspeakables head medi-wizard, who had taken over Orion's care from the school's head nurse and whose diagnoses always tended to favor the worst case scenario. "But he says we'll have to wait and see...so to speak."

Bale simply nodded at the information. "And the seizures?"

"They're under control."

Again the man simply nodded at the answer.

Orion finally broke the silence. "Did the boy's in research turn up anything?"

Bale's eyes shifted to his agent. Reaching into his desk, Bale pulled another folder out of his drawer and laid it on his desk.

"A bit." He replied.

Orion almost smiled at the gesture. Bale was never one to give you more than you ask for. One question. One answer, containing as little information as possible. That summed the man up.

"Anything useful?" Orion pressed on. "Something that might hint at his next move? The last thing we need is to wake up one morning and find that lunatic on our doorstep with his remaining followers."

Bale shoved the folder across the desk to his agent. "I'm sure based on this that the last place on earth Heudros wants to be is anywhere near the Ministry of Magic."

Orion shot his superior a questioning look as he opened the file and was met with the last thing he expected. Staring at the identity paper laying on top of the other papers in the file, he once more turned a quizzical stare to his superior.

"He worked here?" He ask.

"Heudros Barentor. Class three clerk, working for Andros Larthey, a secretary to the Minister." Orin replied. "Disappeared about thirty years ago. No one had seen or heard from him until this last week."

Orion closed the file and tossed it on his superior's desk. "How in magic's name did a class three clerk end up nearly destroying the whole of the magic community?"

"Good question." Orin stated, getting up and walking around the large oak desk as he headed for the door. "If you find him, let me know what he says." He added, opening his office door.

Orion stood up to face the man. "Me?" He ask. "Orin, the man isn't going to come any nearer to me than he is to the Ministry."

Bale shook his head. "Heudros, from all you've told us, is a man who doesn't like to lose, Orion. And you have dealt his ego one serious, smarting blow. If the man follows his prior MO, he's currently sitting somewhere using all his spare time just thinking up lovely ways to dish up some tremendous payback, all aimed at you."

Orion frowned. "Lovely."

Leaving Bale's office, Orion was nearly accosted by his partner.

Charly had been out on a mission the past two weeks and was only just returning to the department. But within minutes of being back he had heard the rumors of his partner having captured the wizard in the north.

In a matter of a few seconds, Charly watched the rest of his life flash before him, and he didn't much care for the ending. Which he felt was pretty much a guarantee if he didn't get to Orion and explain things.

"Orion, I need to talk to you right..." But Charly stopped dead as he caught sight of the bandaging over his friend's eye. "Orion, what happened?" He ask in a whispered voice.

Orion managed a tired smile for his best friend. "It's a long story, Charly." He said, giving the man a welcoming, affectionate hug. "It's good to see you though."

Charly returned the greeting before turning back to his partner with concern. "What happened to your eye? Have you seen Horace? What's he said?"

"I caught a bit a scrap." Orion replied. "Horace gave me his usual gloom and doom prognosis, and the rest of it, like I said, is a long story."

"Are you going to be OK?" Charly ask, the concern never leaving his face as he looked over his partner's heavily bandaged eye.

Orion stared at the man for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Horace was even less hopeful then usual this time, Charly, if that's actually possible for the man." He said quietly as another agent gave a quick greeting as he pasted them in the hallway. "His initial thought is I'll lose my sight in the left eye."

Charly's face fell. "You'll be blind?"

"In one eye." Orion stipulated. "I can still see, Charly. Don't you start sounding like Bale, that every time I get injured, he starts talking about how nice it is out in the pasturelands."

"I'm not talking putting you out to pasture, Orion. I'm just concerned that my partner is injured."

"I know, mate." Orion replied, wrapping a hand about the back of the man's neck. "And I appreciate the concern. But let's just wait and see. Horace has been wrong before."

Charly stared back at his friend for a minute. "What about Bo?" He ask in a quieter tone. "What does he say?"

Orion shrugged. "He says the eye is 'damaged'."

Charly winced. "Ouch! That's never good coming from Bo. Have you ask him if he can help...'undamage' it?"

Orion shook his head. "Bo isn't really up to par right now, Charly. I'm not sure asking him to do anything like this would be a good idea."

"Up to par?"

Orion turned to the ground for a moment. "Bo was hurt on the mission." He explained finally. "And..."

"Whoa!" Charly stated, holding up both hands. "Bo...injured. Orion, Bo doesn't get injured."

Orion shook his head slowly. "Charly, this is a REALLY long story that I don't have the time to get into right now. But as I said, Bo says he's still having trouble focusing. I don't think it's a good time to have him try anything that involves my personal body, ya' know?"

Charly nodded. "I've seen what happens when your boggart isn't 'focused', mate. Took the magic reversal squad three days, that last one."

"Exactly. So I think I'll just leave things be for now if it's all the same to everybody."

Charly nodded as his thoughts slipped back to his original purpose. "Word round the department is this was a pretty exciting mission. Bale sent you after the wizard in the north? Must have been pretty hush-hush. Even I never heard a word about it."

"It was." Orion agreed. Actually, it was more circumstances than anything that prevented him from cluing Charly in. When they had left on the journey, Charly had been halfway around the world on another mission with another group from the department. There hadn't been time to contact him. But with the nature of the mission, Orion was sure Bale wouldn't have wanted him to discuss it with Charly anyway.

"So how did it go?" Charly was fighting every natural instinct in his body to keep from going into full panic mode. If the wizard in the north was in the hands of the Ministry, he knew his days as a wizard were seriously numbered. And that number was likely in the single digits. But even worse, one dose of Veritaserum, and Orion would have full knowledge what Charly had been doing over the past few years. And regardless of his intentions, he doubted very much it made him look anywhere near good in his partner's eyes.

Orion shook his head, then turned back to his best friend. "How does it look like it went?"

"Like it wasn't a picnic."

"That's for sure."

"Did you find the guy?" Charly ask, trying to sound interested and not like he felt his whole life depended on the answer.

Orion nodded and Charly's face fell. "And even more," Orion added, "Bale found out who the guy is."

"Is?" Charly ask distractedly.

"This great 'wizard in the north', Charly? This man who people have feared and run from? Who even Voldemort was worried about?"

Charly mutely nodded.

"He worked here."

Charly's mouth fell open. "He...he worked here? In our department?"

Orion shook his head. "He was a clerk, third class. Someone named Heudros Barentor."

"Heudros?" Charly echoed. He had never known the man's name. The wizard had always insisted he and Treaks only call him 'master'.

Orion nodded.

Charly swallowed his fear. "The word around the department is that you captured him." He said, trying to make the statement sound like nothing more than idle curiosity.

Orion gave another tired nod.

Charly froze. The Ministry had this Heudros in custody. Surely they had talked to him. Magic! They wouldn't even need Veritaserum to get him to talk. The man loved to talk about himself. That much Charly knew first hand. Loved showing his opponents how much more clever he was than them. And to tell them what fools they were. That he had had a spy in their own department for years. He would relish such information. Feeding it to them in small bits as he milked each morsel for all he could get out of it before giving them a name.

Charly forced down his fear. He would explain things to Orion. Make him understand. Worry about the Ministry and Bale later. First he had to get Orion to listen to him.

"Orion, I need to talk to you." Charly stammered. "It's really important."

Orion turned down the hallway towards his office. All he wanted right now was to stop by the castle, see Katlin, who was still being treated for the poison in her system, then head home. "Can it wait, Charly?" Orion stated, "I really need to get going here."

Charly grabbed the man by the arm and pulled him back around. "No, it can't." He stated firmly. "I need to talk to you and I need to talk to you now!"

****

Q&A

FAMILY RELATIONS

Skahducky:

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I loved the line where Becca said that she had only begun using her mind. I thought that was awesome!  
Yeah, it certainly doesn't seem as if Becca wants Heudros to live. I imagine she'll go after him as soon as she destroys the castle. I'm interested to see what she wants to do once she's completely free of Heudros, though. There are many possibilities for her. Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

Actually, Becca had a lot of good lines in that chapter, I thought. It just lent itself to her that way. Especially when backed up with the fact that Heudros just wasn't catching on to what was going on at all.

Currently, Becca has a nice shallow pit somewhere waiting for Heudros, so he'd better watch his back very carefully. But like any good cockroach, before you can stomp on 'em, ya' gotta find 'em.

Well, true, she literally has the world at her fingertips. But think about it. Becca has never known freedom. She's never lived a day in her life when someone wasn't telling her what to do, when to do it, and how to get it done. To suddenly have absolute freedom over your own life can be very frightening coming out of those circumstances, and how she deals with it is part of the Family Ties story line, the last part of the Family's story arc, as well as what happens to Voldemort and Sirius.

ilovesiriusblack:

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I can't believe you left it there! Well acctually I can that is a cliff hanger and a half! I hope Bo and Orion are ok, I can't petend to care about Heudros because I don't like him very much. I am a bit concerned though about Becca. I'm still not sure what the castle is, besides her prison, is the castle in a way also her host? Beca is not a stable individual I fear for the world as a whole.  
Awesome chapter and eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Cliff Hangers...gotta love 'em!

How Orion and Bo fair out of this remains to be seen. Hints to their current states are in this chapter, but still left a bit vague, especially for Bo.

Well, who does like him, Dear? Currently even Becca wants him seriously injured. I mean, the man has Peter up for a 'Man of the Year' award.

And well anyone should be for our newest little 'Power' on the block, now lose in the world without a host (not that she ever truly had one). But her current state and her immediate future will start to show just how important that relationship is and why it's so dangerous for her not to have one.

And on that note, Dear I just loved your reasoning here. A very cute and clever idea to have had the castle be Becca's host. But not plausible.

The castle was not, nor could have ever been, Becca's host. A host, due to its role to the 'Power', has to be a living thing. Therefore the castle would not qualify. But that was an incredibly clever idea on your part. And I'm not saying you are entirely wrong.

The castle was nothing more than Heudros' way of containing Becca because she didn't have a host. A simplified way of explaining it is, that a 'Power's' host is their anchor in this realm. Without a host, a 'Power' is much more unstable than it is with one. And I don't think that's the same 'stable' (or 'un', as the case may be) as you're referring to in the last part of your review. Basically put, if Becca were to go up against Bo right now, he would likely win because he has a firmer foothold in this realm than she does. Also, as I've mentioned before, Bo is simply more comfortable with who he is. As well as is he more adept at yielding the vast power at his command.

Becca, on the other hand, is only just now starting to get a hand on who she is and what she's capable of.

So, was the castle Becca's host? I suppose you could sort of look at it that way, sure. However, based on the story-line, it was not intended that way.

It's one of those, 'Whatever makes you happy' things, Dear.

Still an incredibly cute idea though.

CelticHeiressFiona:

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Another awesome chapter. You cease to amaze.

What can I say? Except, man, I really hope we're missing a word in there somewhere. I would hate to think I've become that predictable.

headntheclouds:

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amazing series, very interesting and fast enough to keep that interest through out the many chapters. Can't wait to read where the story goes.

Ohhhhhh! What a nice review! Thank you, Dear.

From the look of things, this part of the story arc will wrap up in just a few more chapters. then PAR is taking a break before she finishes this story up with the final story arc, Family Ties.

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FEVER

Elena maiden of Gondor:

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Wow I was shocked when Snape appeared in the doorway and actually wanted to help Harry. :O Great story, very exciting. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I'm adding this to my C2 collection.

Snape has his moments, Dear. Can't be a total prat all the time.

Cool! Made another C2 list! Go me!

HermioneWatsonFan:

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Well, then they should either give Harry poison or something that will make a fever higher. And if the potion will work correctly for a few minutes before having the opposite effect, then give harry a poison that takes a long time to work.

OK, keeping in mind its been years since I posted this story, allow me to simply say this; Wasn't that covered in one of the chapters, why that wouldn't work? I could be utterly wrong here, and I will go back and check, but I think...could have sworn this was covered.

If not, way to go, Dear. Continuity error!

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Uh, is that it? Please say there's a sequal! I'm gonna go check for one right now!  
Sorry, Dear, no sequel. Fever was a stand alone story. However, parts of it were incorporated into the Family story arc.

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THE TIES THAT BIND

Dawns Heart:

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What a cute story! It's very well done, I loved Harry...

Thank you, Dear. So glad you enjoyed it.

gothic-hands:

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good story

Thank you.

The New Age:  
**Thats it?  
Is there a sequal? hunts**

Actually, if I remember my stories right, Tried And Convicted was the sequel to The Ties That Bind.

All reviews are as of 07/15/2007.

And remember;

We are all looking forward to the last book of the series with eager anticipation. However, inevitably, some of us will get our copies long before others.

Be kind and be considerate.

Before discussing the last book with someone, inquire first if they have read it. That person has waited the same long years as you to read this last book. Don't spoil it for them just to please yourself.


	78. Chapter 78

A/N: There are several things I am very happy about today. One, that Scholastic is considering a law suit against the little b-----d who broke contract and started selling Book VII several days in advance.

Next, that the person who first posted the last pages of the book on the Internet is now one of the most hated people in the world.

And lastly, that the majority of you managed to write reviews that had nothing whatsoever to with Book VII, it's contents, or even a hint of spoilers.

PAR thanks you.

And I will refrain from comments until next week on the book.

That is all of my ramblings for now.

Except,

As always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

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CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE: NEVER TOO FAR

Orion turned a very tired expression back to face his partner. "All right, Charly, I'm listening."

"It's about this wizard, Orion." Charly began. "There's something I have to tell you and you have to hear me out on this, OK? Right to the end."

Orion simply nodded as he stared back at the growing desperation on his partner's face.

"O.K., here's the thing...," Charly began.

"Black! Heard you had a nasty run in." A voice called from down the hall.

Both men turned to see Max Dugun coming towards them.

"How's the eye?" The newcomer to the gathering ask.

"Right now I'm dividing my time between the pain keeping me awake and desperately needing sleep." Orion replied with a small smile for the man.

"What's Horace say?"

"Never anything good, you know that, Max." Orion answered. "If you had a cold, Horace would give you only weeks to live."

The man chuckled at the statement. "True. True. Never one to not want to err on the side of caution, that's our Horace. Bugger though, that for all your trouble, you didn't even get to bring the fish home."

Charly's ears perked up at the comment. "What?"

Max turned to Charly with a quizzical stare. "All that trouble," He repeated, "and the slimy bugger got away."

Charly turned back to his partner. "You said you captured him."

"I did." Orion replied, starting to wish firmly for his nice soft bed. "But just before we apparated back to the castle, he escaped."

Charly could barely keep his feet on the ground in his desire to jump for joy. Heudros had escaped. And before they had gotten back to the castle. That meant that no one in the Department ever got within miles of the wizard.

Charly quickly plastered a look of disappointment on his face. "That's a tough break, partner." He stated. "I thought he was in the hands of the Ministry."

"Matter of time." Max offered hopefully with a wave as he departed on down the hallway. "Matter of time."

Orion turned back to his partner. "All right. I'm still listening." He stated past a tired sigh.

Charly felt he did an absolutely admirable job of keeping his featured schooled in the face of not having a clue what he was going to say next. Here he had been all primed and ready to come completely clean to his best friend, and now there was no reason to.

But Orion was expecting something. And it had to be something important.

"Well, here's the thing..." Charly started.

"Black! Misser! My office. Now!" Came the demanding voice of Bale.

Charly would have sworn if Bale wouldn't have killed him for it, he'd have run up to the man right then and there and kissed him right on the lips.

Charly turned his exhausted friend around and headed him back down the corridor. "Sounds serious." He stated, still directing Orion's steps. "We'll talk later. After Bale's done and after you've had a chance to get some sleep. Blimmy if you don't look like walking death."

Walking back into his superior's office, Orion placed his body in the first chair that crossed his path.

"Have you briefed your partner on anything?" Bale ask right off.

"I've just seen my partner." Orion replied. "Charly just came in from his own mission this morning."

Bale turned his attention to Charly. "Rotten luck that. Because you're both going out again."

Both men pulled up straight in their chairs. "What?!" They ask in unison.

"Sorry, lads, but this is a situation you're both best qualified for."

"The only situation I'm best qualified for is sleep." Orion stated.

"Won't take long." Bale answered. "We just tracked down a large magical wash, several kilometers to the north. I want both of you with the group heading out to check it out."

Orion looked up suspiciously. "You said we were the best qualified. Why?"

Bale set his gaze on his agent. "We think this may be the remains of the castle."

Charly got a brief run down of things from Orion as they headed down the corridor towards where the others were preparing to apparate to the location. Time wasn't allowing for an in depth explanation, so Orion just hit the highlights. That the castle was a base of operation for Heudros and that due to possible residual wards, they would have to be extremely careful.

(--------------------------------------------)

Orion simply stood staring at the structure before him in awe.

Or more, at the lack of it.

Even what he did to the Deatheaters lair years ago was nothing compared to this.

Whatever she had done, Becca had been plenty mad when she did it.

In fact, the whole of the castle looked like the fledgling 'Power' had spent the whole of the week testing out her new found abilities on the stone structure. Any muggle coming across the area would have simply assumed someone had used the place as a convenient location to dump rocks, since that was practically all that was left of the once enormous castle.

Someone let out a low whistle. "Holy...I thought Bale said there was a castle here."

"You're looking at it, mate." Barry Phinner, the head of the group stated. "Fan out. Look for anything moving. Watch out for stray wards. Bale says the castle was loaded with them."

Charly moved over to where Orion was standing. "This was Heudros' base of operations?"

"This is where one of his servants lived." Orion answered carefully.

Charly's stare slowly ascended the stories-high pile of rubble. Every time Heudros had called him, he had met the man in what looked like a cave, not a castle. Whatever this castle had been, it had been created to withstand a lot.

So what in magic's name had happened to it?

Shaking his head, Charly started out to walk the perimeter. Maybe he could find some of his own answers if he looked hard enough.

Fifteen minutes later, Charly still hadn't circumnavigated the whole of the pile of rubble. But suddenly, looking up from his scrutiny of several rocks, he suddenly noticed a flash of white just stepping around a large stone ahead of him.

Crouching low, he moved quickly to the rock and peered around it.

To his surprise, the sight that greeted him was not what he expected at all.

Standing next to a smaller pile of rocks that looked like they had fallen from a precarious perch higher up, was a woman with long, dark hair, dressed in a simple white sheath dress, who appeared to be carefully studying the destruction before her.

Pulling himself up, Charly decided this was definitely something worth investigating as he straightened his shirt and put on his most charming smile.

The woman looked up almost as soon as Charly stepped around the rock. Sure she would try to run, he was prepared for that contingency. But instead the woman merely pulled herself up and faced him straight on. A determined look in her eyes.

"Well, hello, love." Charly stated as he stopped a few feet from her. "What are you doing here?"

The woman studied him for a few moments, the slowly turned her attention back to the pile of rubble. "I used to live here." She stated in a flat, emotionless voice.

'Ah!' Charly thought immediately. 'One of Heudros' followers.'

The woman turned back to him. "One might ask you the same question." She stated plainly.

"Me?" Charly ask. "Well...Me? I'm...I'm looking for someone." He answered, looking over his shoulder to see if any of the other agents were anywhere close by. If he was careful, and not interrupted, he might be able to get some information out of the woman before the others showed up on the scene and took her into custody.

The woman tilted her head slightly, the sun playing off the soft, dark strands as she squinted slightly against the bright light. "Who?"

Charly smiled at the woman. "Heudros."

The woman instantly pulled herself up again, staring at him more intently as she took several steps towards him. "Heudros?!" She stated. "Do you know where Heudros is?!"

Charly took an instinctive step back. The woman's whole demeanor had changed in an instant from placidly calm to almost maniacal at the mention of the name.

"Right at this moment? No." Charly replied. "But," he added, pasting the smile back on his face, "if you like, we can look for him together. How about that?"

The woman pulled back, as though at his admission, she lost interest in him completely. "I will find Heudros on my own." She now stated in the plain, simple tone of a moment before.

The woman turned, apparently ready to leave. Charly wasn't sure if she would simply walk away or disapparate, but he knew he had only seconds to stop her from doing either.

"Wait a minute!"

The woman stopped in her departure and turned back to him.

The smile returned. "I don't even know your name." Charly stated.

The woman frowned. "What does that matter to you?"

"Well," Charly added, taking a few steps towards her, "in case we meet again..."

"We won't." The woman cut him short.

"In case we do," Charly repeated, "I would like to know what to call you."

The woman seemed to give the request serious consideration before tilting her head to one side again as she stared back at the man before her. "My name is Be..." But she stopped suddenly and her features hardened as she pulled herself back upright. "My name is none of your business." She stated firmly, and turned on her heel to leave.

"Just a minute." Charly hurried after her. She was likely his best link to Heudros. He had to stop her from leaving until he could get more information from her. "All right. You're right. It's not very nice of me to expect you to tell me your name when I haven't told you mine."

The woman stopped and turned back to him.

"Allow me to introduce myself." He said, his most winning smile in place as he took another step towards the woman. "My name is..."

"Charly!"

The voice rang out like a warning shot from behind him. Charly turned towards it just as he heard the woman in front of him let out a loud gasp of surprise. Turning back towards her he was only mildly surprised to find himself now facing open air.

Fisted hands on his hips, Charly turned around to face his approaching partner. "What the blasted...did you have to go and startle her like that?!" He stated in an irritated tone.

Orion looked just as irritated as he neared where Charly stood. "Startle?!" Orion stated in a voice that was downright angry. "Do you have any idea who you were chatting up?"

Charly now adopted a mildly confused look. Orion was mad because he was talking to the woman?

"One of Heudros' followers." He answered.

Orion shook his head. "Not 'one of Heudros' followers', Charly. That was Heudros' 'Power'."

Charly's look went from mildly confused to completely. "Pardon?" He ask. "Power? Like in 'backing him' power?"

"No." Orion answered, shaking his head again and lowering his tone. "Like in 'Bo'."

Charly's expression shifted through several emotions with lightning speed. From confusion, to speculation, to understanding, to disbelief. "Bo?" He ask in the same quiet whisper Orion was now speaking in.

This time Orion nodded.

(----------------------------------------------------)

Back at the Ministry, seated in his office with no less than five silencing charms in place, Orion sat facing his partner.

"Now let me get this straight," Charly said slowly, having just sat through an hour long rendition of what happened on the mission to find the wizard in the north, including the parts left out of the official report, "you're telling me that this Heudros character managed to create another 'Power', just like your Bo, and now she's out there somewhere, on her own, and mad as...as Voldemort on one of his 'happy days'?!"

Orion, looking like a man well past the point of exhaustion, simply nodded.

"Sweet mother of..." Charly's head fell as he shook it. "We are in a mess of it this time." He stated, turning back to his best friend. "Not just the Ministry or the wizarding community, but the whole world this time. I mean, your father managed to control Bo, to a point, by putting the 'Power' in the boggart to begin with. It may still be powerful, but its more of a firecracker than an atomic bomb now. And just for a safety catch, Bo at least likes you. He listens to you. Does, for the most part, what you say. And he's not truly malicious. This girl...this...Becca, from what you've said, is far from the thinking level of a three year old, answers to no one, hates her keeper, and sees killing simply as a way to solve life's irritating little problems." Charly sighed as Orion once again gave a tired nod. "Mate, we are so scr..."

"It's not that bad, Charly." Orion cut him off. "Becca only seems to have serious animosity for Heudros. I think, given the chance, I could talk to her."

Charly grabbed the man by the shirt and yanked him forward. "Are you out of your mind?!" He ask. "The minute that girl saw you she did not stick around to say 'hello' and catch up on old times, Orion. Or did you miss how fast she disapparated out of there?"

"She didn't disapparate." Orion stated abstractly. "'Power's' don't apparate."

"You need to go home and get some sleep." Charly stated. "You're starting to babble."

Orion nodded again. "And maybe I'll actually make it out the door this time."

(---------------------------------------------------)

Not only did he make it out the door, but Orion was surprised he made it all the way home without being called back again by Bale.

Now that he had seen her again, all of Orion's hopes that the destruction of the castle and Heudros' abandonment would somehow lead to Becca losing her foothold in his realm where shot. And with that knowledge came a less than peaceful night.

It had started out well enough, with a proverbial flock of children assaulting him at the door when he arrived, all questioning where was Mum and when was she coming home.

Orion once again set about calming fears over Katlin's continuing absence from her children's lives.

As soon as the stone had returned the group to the castle, Orion had immediately hunted down the Headmaster to find out if Becca had kept her promise and sent Katlin to what he was sure she saw as 'home': the castle.

But that fear at least had been quickly put to rest when Dumbledore assured him that Katlin had indeed shown up at the castle that day, though in less than perfect health, and that she was currently under Madam Pomfrey and Aaron Richards care.

For the next week Orion had spent hours at his wife's bedside, reassuring her as much as himself that everything would be fine. Richards and the Hogwart's head nurse had tried explaining to him over and over that Katlin was in no immediate danger and that her getting over the poison would be a slow process, not an overnight one. But although he kept up a good front whenever he was with Katlin, Orion had spent the last week on very little sleep as his worries continued to pursue him in his dreams.

Tonight was just one more night.

Early in the morning hours, long before the sun came up, Orion suddenly sat bolt upright in his bed, the remnants of his wife's name still on his lips.

Looking about the room quickly, he did everything he could to assuage his fears. But this time the dream had been particularly vivid. He swore he could still feel the cold from the corridors as he made his way through his old school's hallways on his way to the infirmary. Could still smell the antiseptic in the air, mixed with years of potion brewing as he entered the infirmary. Could still feel the material of the curtain around Katlin's bed as he took hold of it with his hand. And could still feel the sheer sense of panic and loss as he pulled it back to reveal the cloth covered body in the bed.

It had all simply been far too real.

A soft trill drew his attention to the end of the bed.

For once Orion was actually happy to see the boggart in his room at this hour of the morning.

Saved him the trouble of having to call him.

Nearly bolting out of the bed, Orion grabbed a pair of pants and began pulling them on.

"Bo, I need you to do me a favor." He stated, grabbing the shirt still hanging over the back of the chair.

The boggart started to make several gestures in the air, but Orion stopped him as he placed his hand over Bo's.

"No, no. I just need you to listen." He stated a bit firmer. "Don't ask questions."

Bo paused for a moment as he studied his Channeler, then finally nodded.

"Good. Now, Bo, I need you to stay here and watch the kids, OK?"

The boggart made a quick gesture.

Orion nodded to him. "Yes. Babysitting. I need you to babysit the kids while I go out for a while."

The boggart made another quick gesture that Orion just caught as he headed for the door.

"I don't know." He replied, heading for the stairs at a brisk pace. "Probably all night. But I'll be back in the morning. But likely late. So you make sure that everyone gets safely to my parents house, OK? And you explain things to Mum. Tell her I had to leave and I ask if they could watch the kids today, OK?"

Bo paused, then nodded.

"Good. Thanks, Bo." He stated as he grabbed a cloak from the hall closet. "Bring down the wards, and put them up again right after I've cleared them, all right?"

The boggart nodded again, and Orion quickly disapparated.

(----------------------------------------------)

Apparating at the front gates of the castle, Orion quickly made his way across the lawn. He had to see Katlin. He had to know his wife was all right.

Reaching the large, ornate front doors, he laid his hand over one of them. A clicking could be heard inside and the door slowly began to open. But with a hard push, Orion sent it banging against the wall behind it.

Running through the corridors, he was thankful that at one in the morning he wasn't likely to encounter many people wandering the castle hallways. Maybe Filch. But Orion was well and prepared to hex the man into next week if he tried to stop him.

Arriving at the infirmary door, thankfully without incident, Orion hurried into the ward. But he found himself coming to a abrupt halt outside the white curtain drawn around Katlin's bed.

What if he pulled the curtain back to find his dream was true? What if the thing he feared above any other had happened and they hadn't told him?

'Get a grip.' He admonished himself. 'Just pull the curtain back and you'll see that she's fine.'

A shaking hand wrapped itself about the white curtain and slowly pulled it back a little. Orion peeked around the corner.

Laying in the small hospital bed, Katlin was sleeping peaceful on her side facing him, the cover only pulled up to her shoulder.

Orion breathed a deep sigh of relief as he stood watching her, listening intently to every sound. But her breathing was the slow regular rhythm of someone deep asleep.

Orion sighed and shook his head again as he stepped over to her bed and quietly crouched down next to her.

Katlin shifted a little in her sleep, startling him slightly. Orion backed up, bumping into a chair behind him and scraping it lightly across the floor as he fell.

Katlin shifted again, this time lifting her head slightly as she opened her eyes.

"Orion?" She asked in a half-asleep voice as she squinted down at the man sitting on the floor next to her bed.

Orion scooted slowly back over to her bed, looking up as he smiled sheepishly at her.

"Hi, Love." He whispered to her.

"Orion?" Katlin stared down at him past a puzzled stare. "What are you doing here? It's not morning yet, is it?"

"Well, actually, it is morning." Orion replied. "About one in the morning."

Katlin's eyes widened. "One in the morning! What in heavens name are you doing here at one in the morning? Where are the children? Surely you didn't leave them at the house alone?"

"Bo's with them." He replied quickly. "And he's taking them to my parent's house in the morning to spend the day."

Satisfied with the answer, Katlin laid her head back down. "That doesn't explain what you're doing here." She stated.

Orion gave her another embarrassed smile. "Bad Dream?" He answered.

"A bad dream?" She ask, widening her eyes slightly. "Honestly, Orion," She chastised him lightly. "Katy handles nightmares better than you."  
"Katy has her mother to comfort her and her stuffed owl to keep her company the rest of the night."

Katlin gave him a half serious smile. "Well, I'll get you a stuffed owl you can have in bed with you if you'd like."

"I'd rather have my other soft, cuddly toy in bed with me." He informed her with a wolfish grin.

Katlin smiled at him, then hugged her pillow to her.

"Well, I don't know how I feel about being referred to as a 'toy', but feel free to take the other side. Because I'm not moving."

Katlin smiled to herself as she heard the footsteps hurry to the other side of the small infirmary bed and felt the mattress shift under the added weight. An arm gently crept its way around her waist as he spooned his body up against her's. Rolling over as she shifted her position, Katlin re-adjusted herself until she was now facing her husband in the bed.

"Better?" She asked.

Orion gave her a contented sigh and gently kissed her lips.

"Much."

"Are you planning on doing anything with the bed?"

"Like what?"

"Little small for two?"

"Somehow it suits me tonight."

Katlin smiled against his shoulder as she cuddled closer to him. "Me too."

(-----------------------------------------------------)

The next morning Orion was given a rude awaking in the form of orders being barked at him by the head nurse.

"Mr. Black!" Madam Pomfrey snapped at him from his side of the bed. "What exactly do you think you are doing? Get out of that bed this instant."

Orion managed to remain utterly unperturbed by the attack as he simply let out a small sigh and cuddled up closer to his wife. "Get off." He stated half asleep. "We're married."

"And that doesn't matter one bit. There'll be none of that here. Now get out of that bed. This woman is still injured."

Orion sighed as Katlin turned over her shoulder to face him. How she had managed to roll over on her side in the night without waking or tossing Orion over the edge eluded her completely. But she gave him a wink as he looked up at her. "You heard the head nurse." She informed him with a smile. "There'll be none of that here."

"Mr. Black!" Pomfrey stated a bit louder. "Don't force me to dislodge you myself."

With an aggravated sigh, Orion leaned over and kissed Katlin affectionately before carefully maneuvering himself out from under the covers.

"Oh! Look!" He stated, fanning his arms out for the head nurse to see. "Fully dressed. What a surprise!"

"Don't be crude, Mr. Black." Pomfrey replied, scooting about him as she headed into the small cubicle Katlin's bed occupied. "I still need to check my patient."

A snapping shut of the white curtain in his face answered Orion's question if he could watch.

Waiting outside the cubicle for a good fifteen minutes, Orion was beginning to think the head nurse was dragging things out just to aggravate him when the curtain slowly rolled back from around the bed.

"You can see your wife now, Mr. Black." She informed him in a firm tone. "But the curtain is to remain open, and you are to stay in that chair." She added, pointing to the chair next to Katlin's bed.

"Yes, yes." Orion stated as the head nurse strutted by him. "I know. 'We'll have none of that here'."

A soft giggle from the cubicle answered him as Madam Pomfrey went about her other duties for the morning.

"Don't irritate her, Orion." Katlin begged. "She's really being very good to me, considering."

Orion dutifully took a seat in the chair. "Considering what?"

"That's she's having to minister to a Deatheater. And an Elite, no less. Hardly her usual class of patients, I'm sure."

Orion sighed softly as he caressed a hand over her cheek. It had to be a little frightening for Katlin, to be literally in the enemies hands while she was injured. "Hey," he told her softly, "we're all in the same camp right now. All working together. Remember?"

"One big happy family." Katlin added half-heartedly.

"Well, I don't know how happy it is, but that's the basic idea."

Katlin managed a small smile for him as she wrapped her hand about his. "Just don't go too far." She whispered.

Orion leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss. "No further than that." He promised her.

****

Q&A

ilovesiriusblack:

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Hm I think Charly's about to put his foot in it. Good, he should have come clean years ago. I think Orion is wise not to let Bo help with his eye, I certainly wouldn't let a three year old give me laser eye surgery! Eagerly awaiting the next chapter and news of Voldermort and Sirius.

Well, what can I say? Charly's luck is still running in the 'good' column. And true, he did nearly put his foot right in it. How Orion would have reacted to the news still waits to be seen.

Well, remember that one of Bo's greatest strengths is that he's totally at ease with who and what he is. Which is a factor that will figure heavily in Family Ties. Orion may well be Bo's best friend, and feel that he knows him far better than anyone else, but trust me, like any good three year old, Bo keeps a few secrets to himself. And Orion is likely going to be quite surprised to learn just how 'agile' his boggart really is.

Your news of Voldemort and Sirius, Dear, is in the next chapter, where decisions have to be made. After all, by the parameters of the spell alone, if Voldemort stays in Sirius' body much longer, they both will suffer for it.

CelticHeiressFiona:

****

Nope no predictions here. Sorry I worded it wrong. Anyway another amazing chapter!

That's all right, Dear. PAR knew what you meant.

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Skahducky:

Why did Orion nod when Charly asked if he captured Heudros? I mean, technically he had him for a moment, but he never actually got around to capturing him.  
Is Harry finally going to be adopted soon? I mean, now that they're back from the mission and all that. I forget the exact parameters of Harry and Voldemort's bargain, but didn't Voldemort say he'd leave Sirius' body if Harry agreed to help him find the wizard in the north? And, without Becca, Heudros is more or less defeated, right?  
Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

Wellllllllllll..., he may never had read him his rights or anything, but technically, Heudros was 'in custody', Dear.

Three reasons for that. One, technically, as you pointed out, he answered the question. 'Did you capture Heudros?' 'Yes.'

Next, because the poor man was dead on his feet and wasn't thinking much past just answering questions.

And lastly, although in the reading it may have seemed that Charly gave Orion plenty of time to elaborate, he really didn't. As soon as Orion confirmed that he had captured Heudros (no matter for how short a time), Charly went barreling on, desperate to do as much damage control as possible.

Dear, I thought you knew me better than this. If there's a twist to be taken, I'm going to take it. Now, will Harry be adopted soon? No. Complications have arisen in that area that are explained in Family Ties, the part of the Family story arc.

Yes, Voldemort promised (sort of) to leave Sirius' body if Harry agreed to help him. But Sirius told him not to and Harry refused. It wasn't until Orion's life hung in the balance that Harry agreed to help Voldemort find the wizard in the north.

But even past all of that, do you honestly expect Voldemort to honestly go with the deal he struck? The man's better at finding loopholes in a contract than a seasoned lawyer.

Heudros is down, Dear, he is by no means out.

knightsbridge:

****

Well, some of us are looking forward to the last book. After reading about the distributer that sent out the books early, the online print, the people saying if that was the book they didn't EVER want to read the whole thing...London betting shops have stopped taking bets and Harry's fate, just how he dies. I think I will leave the book as is to complete the entire collection, and to pass it on to future generations (who hopefully aren't quite as addicted to it as I.  
For all of us who know how WE wanted it to end...we have fan fiction to read. Personally, I think Jo did the entire child in all of us a diservice. Harry became real to all of us. Did you know they have grief Counceling centers set up for children? He has become THAT real...it would be like a brother etc dieing. No wonder Jo said she wouldn't write under her own name again...I vote for a bludger to the head!

Honestly, Dear, I have no idea what version you've been reading, but the comments here don't exactly coincide with the last book that well.

However, I will agree Rowling did many of us a disservice with this book. But I felt that started back in Book V, when she started that whole Bad-Ass Harry and the darker storyline thing. I'd have been far more thrilled and far more inclined to continue reading the books had she stuck with the happy little weekend readers I signed on for with the first four books.

After browsing Book V and getting to the bad part, I sort of lost interest in the whole thing. I did not read Book V with the same interest and intensity I read the first four. I never even read Book VI, and it took me all of three hours to read Book VII (Speed reading is a wonderful time saver.).

So, was I disappointed with the last book?

Yes.

All reviews are as of 07/22/2007.

And remember;

People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.


	79. Chapter 79

A/N: Well, guys, it's been fun, but here we are, at the last chapter.

I do want to say that I have absolutely enjoyed doing this story. It's been a tremendous amount of fun for me, and I am looking forward to starting Family Ties and hope that you will return for it.

****

(Hand goes up in the back.) And exactly when will that be?

I'm getting to that! Sit down!

As that Family Relations has been such a long story, I will be taking a short break before starting Family Ties. However, I have some business I have to attend to in October or November (the date hasn't been set yet), and if all goes well I could be out of action for several months. More on that later.

I will be doing some shorter pieces in the meantime. Mostly Meeting The Parents, a cute little one shot on what happens when your Auror parents meet your Deatheater wife for the first time, and a multiple chapter story called In The Family Way which explains how Orion and Katlin ended up parents to not one, but five children.

So, when will Family Ties begin? I'm looking at January, 2008. But you know me and deadlines, folks. Not promising anything here.

Anyway, that's all for now.

And as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Go back and read the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before the one before this one.

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CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO: LONG GOODBYES

Arabella had practically taken every one of her nails down to the quick during the night. Ever since Dumbledore had told them to meet with him in his office early this morning, she couldn't help but think this was finally it. The journey to find the wizard in the north was over, they were all home safe, and now it was time for Voldemort to live up to his end of the bargain.

It was time for him to release Sirius.

Arabella found her pinky going into her mouth as she sat before the Headmaster's desk. She quickly pulled it out again, laying her hand in her lap as she covered it with her other one.

She had to stay calm.

Glancing over to her right she noted that Harry seemed far to composed for the meeting. But that could possibly be simply that the teenager had no idea whatsoever what the meeting could entail.

"Why hasn't he gotten back yet?!" An impatient voice suddenly blurted out.

Nope. That wasn't it.

"I'm sure Dumbledore will be back shortly, Harry." Arabella reassured him gently. They had come to the office a short while ago, only to have the Headmaster called away suddenly on some matter dealing with the school.

Since then, Arabella and Harry had been growing ever more anxious over the meeting.

"Do you think this is about Sirius?" Harry asked quickly. "Do you think Voldemort is finally going to release him?"

"I don't know, Harry." Arabella replied. "I hope so."

"But maybe it isn't that at all." Harry pointed out. "If it was, wouldn't Voldemort be here? Maybe he's changed his mind. Gone back on his promise. Maybe he isn't going to release Sirius at all. Arabella, he has to! If he doesn't, the spell will merge them together and Sirius won't ever be able to come back."

"Harry, calm down." Arabella said in a calm but firm voice. "I'm sure Voldemort doesn't want that any more than we do. If the spell merges him with Sirius, then Voldemort loses too. And I'm sure he doesn't want that to happen."

Harry fell silent again as Arabella found herself once again absently nibbling on her last good nail.

She was right about this.

She just had to be.

When the door to the room opened a few seconds later, Arabella nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise, so lost was she in her personal mantra of reassurance that Voldemort wasn't going to double-cross them and that tonight, she, Harry, and Sirius would be safely back together again.

When Dumbledore entered the room, Arabella felt her hopes take a soaring flight upwards for once at the appearance of the man fallowing the Headmaster into the room.

His usual stoic self, Voldemort took the seat to Arabella's left, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on the man before him.

"Well," Dumbledore started, "I am sure no one needs to ask the reason for this meeting." Leaning over his desk, the Headmaster got right to the point. "When you first came to us, Voldemort, you ask us for our help in finding this wizard in the north. Help we gave you, albeit none to willingly. But still, we gave you what assistance we could. Unfortunately, and due to no ones fault, this wizard managed to evade our custody. But having spoken with Mr. Black at great length on the matter, I do not believe him to be nearly the danger he posed before. Therefore," Dumbledore concluded, directing the stare behind his half-moon glasses at the man before him, "as that we have lived up to our end of the bargain, Voldemort, I believe it is now, as they say, your turn to live up to yours."

For what seemed to her to be hours, Arabella sat motionlessly while she waited for the dark wizard's reply. And when it came, it wasn't at all what she expected.

"Do you know what your problem is, Dumbledore?" Voldemort ask. "What is the sole greatest fault you possess?"

The older man simply remained with his gazed fixed on the dark wizard.

"You see everything too simply. Do you honestly believe that now that he is without his followers that this wizard is no longer a threat? I tell you he is a worse one now than he ever was."

"Heudros is the concern of the Ministry now, Voldemort. He is no longer your problem to ponder or deal with. However, you have made a promise to Harry, one that it has come your time to fulfill your end of."

Voldemort gave the older wizard a small, secretive smile. "Again, your problem, old man, is that you see everything far too simply."

"Meaning?"

"I made Harry a promise. That much is true. As did I make one to Arabella. However, while you have been pursuing whether or not I intend to live up to my end of the bargain, I have yet to hear you ask them if that is still what they want."

"What!?" Arabella wasn't sure she had heard the man right.

The dark wizard turned to her for the first time since entering the room.

"I have learned a great deal about you these past weeks, Arabella." He stated in a calm, smooth voice, all its confidence firmly in place. "And I have come to...admire...you...a great deal. You are an intelligent, resourceful woman. You know the meaning of loyalty and how to express such to those who earn it from you. But mostly I believe you are a woman who knows her own mind. Who knows what she wants. And you do not let others influence your decisions."

Arabella masked her emotions behind a calm, placid outer expression. "What is it you're saying?" She ask.

"Just this. We made a bargain. I don't deny that. Nor am I seeking to escape it. But bargains have been known to change. To be rewritten between two consenting parties. And so I ask you---I give you the choice...who do you want in this body? Myself, as I am now, part the man you know as Lord Voldemort, and part Sirius Black, or do you want Black restored to it only? But you do have the choice."

Arabella kept her calm, placid face in place. But underneath it she felt as though someone had just stole the very breath from her body. What was Voldemort playing at now?

"I'm not seeking to make any changes in our agreement." She stated calmly. "We have an agreement, Voldemort. A bargain. One that you yourself drew up. It is far too late in the game to be trying to make amendments to it."

The man's expression shifted ever so slightly at her words. "And I believe, Arabella," He replied in a voice that matched her own even one, "that that is exactly what I am trying to point out to you. When all parties agree, it is never to late to amend an agreement."

"And I told you," Arabella replied, hardening her tone slightly, "I have no wish to amend our agreement."

The dark lord pulled back slightly, his mask of pure civility slipping slightly in the face of her answer.

"As I said," Voldemort responded, his tone once again almost pleasant and conversational, though Arabella likened it more to a man at a gaming table about to lay down a winning card, "agreements have been known to be changed," he added, turning his attention now fully to the teenager sitting next to Arabella, "when all parties are in agreement. Or some times, only a few." He added.

Harry caught the man's stare. "What are you talking about?"

"You, Harry." Voldemort stated. "Tell me something. Have you ever taken a good look at yourself? At your present? Your future?"

"Meaning?"

Voldemort sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers before him. "Harry, you are a very powerful wizard. And it is no idle platitude that I tell you that. You have great potential. To me, it's no small wonder that Dumbledore keeps you so tightly tucked under his wing." He stated, giving the older wizard a cursorily glance. "But in order to reach your full potential, you need training, Harry. Proper training."

"I have proper training." Harry stated in a none to accepting voice. "I learn plenty at Hogwarts. I have Sirius and Arabella, Professor Lupin, Orion. Even Professor Dumbledore. They're all wonderful teachers."

Voldemort gave the pronouncement a slighting acknowledgment. "I am sure they are all adequate...in their own way, Harry." Voldemort replied. "But they all tend to have the same flaw, you see. They all tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to your teaching." The dark wizard turned slightly in his chair, more fully facing the teenager. "Harry, your friends, they all seek to protect you. To keep you safe. But that is their one great failing. For in doing so they are hindering you. Dragging you down with them into their safe, secure little world. What you have accomplished so far in your life is nothing less than amazing for a wizard your age, there is no doubt about that. But think! Harry, think of where you could be! Of what you could accomplish with the proper teacher."

"I'm doing just fine."

"Fine? That's your greatest expectation? To do fine. Try extraordinary, Harry. Try being a force to be reckoned with. Try being someone that people respect. That people look up to. Who they'll remember with fear and awe in they voice whenever they speak your name. Harry, you aren't even a small part of what you could be. Under the right teacher, you could have...anything...you desired. The world could be yours. No one could oppose you. No one would dare. You could shape the world and everything in it to your liking.

Think on that scale, Harry, and you are seeing your possible future.

But only if you are willing to take the chance on it. If you are willing to step outside of that safe little bubble everyone is trying to stuff you inside of. For once, Harry, take hold of your own life. Your own destiny. And make it something truly remarkable!"

The teenager's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the man before him. "You mean if I'm willing to sacrifice Sirius. If I agree to 'amend our bargain'."

"You're not 'sacrificing' anyone, Harry." Voldemort stated, placing his hand on his chest. "Black is still here. Still a part of this body. And if you choose correctly, he always will be. He'll still be with you. Still guiding you. But so will I. Someone who has seen what magic can truly be. Who can guide you and teach you and give you that wondrous future, so full of promise."

Harry fixed a hard stare on the dark wizard. "Even if it were my choice to make," he stated flatly, "which it isn't, that body belongs to Sirius. He has the right to it."

"This body is currently communal property." Voldemort stated. "By the terms of the spell, I have the right to stay in it. All that bonds me to leaving it is our agreement, Harry. But by your word, all of that could change, as could your future. And all you have to do...is choose."

Harry only gave the man one word in answer. "Sirius."

The dark wizard's expression froze as he slowly let his gaze slip from the teenager to the woman seated next to him. "It is a small wonder, I suppose, being tutored under the likes of a sentimental old fool, the boy would feel his loyalties are to Black. But, the agreement is also between us, Arabella. And you, I suspect, are not governed by such foolish tendencies. Especially when you are considering your godson's future.

The boy can be a great wizard. A powerful leader. But he is still young and, therefore, still some times rash. Allowing his judgment to be led by sentimentality. Some times he needs the guidance of an adult. Some one who can see things more clearly."

Arabella bright her chin up as she faced the man seated next to her. "If you mean me, then I'm afraid I'm destined to disappoint you, Voldemort. Because I'm just as guilty of the same 'sentimentality'." She replied. "I also, choose Sirius."

Arabella saw no less than several emotions chase themselves across the man's face, not the least of which being utter disbelief.

"You...you don't mean that!"

"You ask me for a choice." Arabella replied in her same, calm, placid tone. "And I've made one. I want Sirius back."

"You made your plea, Voldemort." Dumbledore broke the silence that suddenly hung in the room as the man stared back at the two seated next to him, the same utter disbelief in his expression.

But at the old wizard's words the man's expression shifted quickly to one as hard as stone.

"Lord Voldemort," he stated in a voice as chilled as an artic wind, "'pleads' with no one."

Dumbledore returned the man's stare without so much as a waver of doubt. "Be that as it may, you made a bargain with Arabella and Harry, and neither appears to wish to alter it. Therefore, you are bond by that agreement to release Sirius."

The dark wizard settled back in his chair, once again steepling his fingers before him. "It will take some time." He stated slowly. "The spell was complicated to begin with. Undoing it will be just as much so. I have to make certain preparations."

"You need only tell us what you need," Dumbledore replied, "And we will see that you get it."

A mirthless smile crossed the dark wizard's lips. "You know enough of my secrets, old man." He replied. "You'll pardon me if I choose to keep a few to myself. I will make the preparations myself and let you know when all is ready."

Arabella laid a hand on Harry's arm as the man got up and left the room, keeping the teenager from making any move.

"Will he keep his promise?" Harry ask as soon as Arabella removed her hand, worry laced into every word.

"He has no choice, Harry." Dumbledore answered him.

"Why not? All he has to do is refuse to let Sirius go."

"And then what?" The Headmaster asked.

Harry thought for a moment. "Then...he has his body. He can go back to being Lord Voldemort."

"Can he?" The older wizard ask. "Harry, Voldemort told you before he didn't choose Sirius at random. He planned it out for some time. But why your godfather? What made Sirius so special that he was the only one Voldemort could use?"

Arabella spoke up quickly. "He said...he said he needed a body. That the one he had was failing."

"Ah. But why Sirius? Why not someone else?"

Arabella thought for a moment. "He said that there were...parameters...for the spell...ones that only Sirius met."

"Did he ever say what they were?"

Arabella shook her head. "No."

"I am sure there were parameters to the spell, Arabella. But I also think they were ones Voldemort himself created when working the spell originally. He simply made it so the spell would interact with no one but Sirius."

"So why choose him at all? Why not one of his Deatheaters? Surely they would have been a more logical choice."

"Possibly. But what Voldemort needed," Dumbledore stated, "was someone 'within our camp', as it were. Someone close to Harry and who Harry respected and would listen to. Remember that Voldemort's original plan was never to even tell Harry who he was. But things didn't work out as he wanted and he was forced to come out into the open to us sooner than he intended. All because Sirius knew something wasn't right. That something had happened in the lair that day that wasn't what it appeared at first. And so he warned his brother and myself and we managed to alter Voldemort's plans slightly."

"Just not enough to stop him." Arabella replied bitterly.

"Oh, my dear," Dumbledore said with a small smile, "I have rarely known anything that alters Tom Riddles' plans once he has made them."

"And you seem so sure he'll let Sirius go free."

"Indeed. Because he didn't get what he was after. So therefore, he has no further need of Sirius."

"What he was after?" Harry ask with a puzzled stare. "You mean Heudros?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "You. Harry. You, Arabella, myself. Voldemort wanted allies. He may have succeeded in gaining control of your godfather's body, but it proved to be a trap of his own making in the end. The Deatheaters don't know him, few of them trust him, and that is only with the backing of his head Elite, Katlin Griss, and here at the castle he's a virtual pariah. To Voldemort, it was the worst possible situation. He had no allies. He was, in fact, depended on other people to get anything done."

"He seemed to do just fine forcing me to get to agree to take him to the wizard in the north." Harry pointed out.

"True. But living your life having to force every ounce of cooperation out of the people around you gets tiring after a while, Harry. And it really isn't Voldemort's style at all."

"So he's going to give up Sirius' body because it's an 'inconvenience' to him?" Arabella asked in surprise.

Dumbledore nodded. "In a manner of speaking, that is correct. Had you or Harry agreed to allow him to remain as he was, I am sure he would do so without thought, based on the idea if he could win over one of you, he could do so with anyone."

Arabella shook her head. "He had to be nuts to think we would have ever chosen him over Sirius."

"Or simply desperate." Dumbledore replied. "Even for Voldemort, 'lonely' is not a comfortable thing to be. When he was here at school, he had his household. When he became Lord Voldemort, he had his Deatheaters. But when he was here, he at first truly had no one, Arabella. Not a feeling he much cared for apparently."

"Well, he'll just have to go looking for playmates somewhere else." Arabella commented. "Because there is no way I would ever have chosen Voldemort over Sirius."

"Or me." Harry added quickly. "Everything we've done has all been in order to get Voldemort to release Sirius. I can't believe he thought for a minute we'd choose him instead."

"Which all goes to show, Harry, just how desperate the man really is. The problem we have now, is what does he plan to do about the situation now that it hasn't gone as he hoped?"

"He has no choice!" Arabella stated. "He has to release Sirius."

"And go where?" Dumbledore ask. "He still needs a body. And what if this spell is any kin to the other one? If that's true, the body has to be in mortal peril in order for Voldemort to leave it."

Arabella paled suddenly. "You mean someone has to kill the body he's in in order for him to leave it?"

"It is a possibility."

Harry turned to Dumbledore. "Then what are we going to do?"

"I've already arranged to have Voldemort watched very carefully." Dumbledore replied. "Hopefully, we can stay one step ahead of him in his plans."

(---------------------------------------)

Three days past without so much as a word form Voldemort to any of the three. In fact, from what they could tell, the man did little but occupy his rooms at the castle, hardly ever leaving them.

By the fourth day, Arabella was beginning to get a serious case of cabin fever and decided a short trip out would help clear her mind. Gathering up Harry, the two set out for Diagon Alley for a short afternoon shopping trip, all with Dumbledore's assurances that Voldemort was still being closely watched.

Once at Diagon Alley, Arabella had to concede that perhaps this was just what she needed to calm her frayed nerves. A few hours away from the castle where she and Harry could relax for a little while without wondering what Voldemort was up to.

But the afternoon soon proved to be just as deceptive as the calm that had seemed to settle over them.

Exiting one of the shops, Arabella nearly shrieked in fright as a hand firmly took hold of her arm. Looking up, she found herself face to face with Voldemort, who had the strangest look on his face she had ever seen.

"Having a pleasant day, Arabella?" He inquired.

"It was." She replied icily, but quickly admonished herself. There was no need to antagonize the man. Not when they were so close to freeing Sirius. "What are you doing here?" She ask instead.

Voldemort seemed to be scanning the crowd around them. "I found myself in need of something." He replied. "And I thought this might just be the place I might find it."

"And what might that be?"

Voldemort continued to scan the crowd. "The moment I find it," he replied, turning a mirthless smile to her, "I promise you'll be the first ones to know."

Arabella found herself more or less dragged from the shop and out into the main flow of traffic on the street with Harry following close behind her, unsure of what, if anything he could or should do about the situation.

"All right." Arabella stated, disliking being dragged about and now matching his steps stride for stride as Harry hurried along after her, his fingers lightly resting on the wand in his pocket. "As long as you're here, perhaps you'll answer a question for me?"

Voldemort stopped abruptly and turned to her. "You're expecting me to be of a very generous nature, considering."

"You made your own problems, Vol...Tom." She quickly amended as someone passed close by them. "Don't blame us for not going along with your plans. We made a bargain and you had no right to try and change it. But this has to do with the spell."

"What about it?" the dark wizard ask absently as he quickly surveyed their new surroundings.

"The first spell required Sirius to kill you in order for you to inhabit his body."

"True."

"Is it the same thing in this case? Someone has to kill Sirius in order for you to leave his body?"

Voldemort turned to her with a genuine smile this time. But there wasn't one ounce of warmth in it. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He answered.

Arabella met his stare. "Yes. I would."

But it appeared Voldemort had gone back to scanning the crowd. Then, with a sudden grip back on her arm, he abruptly pulled her in a new direction. "Well, let it never be said of me that I was not accommodating." He replied. "Because you are about to find out. And know this." He added, stopping suddenly as he turned back to face her, nothing but malevolence and hatred showing in his face now. "Despite your betrayal...yours and Potter's..., I am about to give you a gift." A smile crept across his face again. "I hope you enjoy it."

"What gif...?" But Arabella's question got completely forgotten as Voldemort released her arm and, quickening his pace, left she and Harry behind as he approached the middle of the street. Turning back to her, the same malevolent smile on his face, Voldemort shouted out two words for the whole street to hear.

Or more, two names.

"Sirius Black!"

The street seemed to fall into an eerie silence for several seconds.

Then absolute pandemonium broke loose. The name was repeated by various voices amid screams of panic as mothers were grabbing their children and people fled the general area in a great rush.

All, Arabella noted, except one. One she knew all too well and one that froze her blood in her veins.

Standing before Voldemort in the rapidly clearing street was Arel Trener, one of Voldemort's most well known and ruthless Deatheaters.

A sneer was plastered across the man's face as he faced Voldemort across the street. "Sirius Black." He stated, already bringing his wand up. "The Ministry may just give me a medal for this."

Voldemort matched the man's expression. "Don't bet on it, Trener."

The Deatheater brought his wand up just as Voldemort did. A quick curse and a bolt of green light flew out of the wand, aimed directly at Voldemort.

Arabella was already moving with Harry right behind her as she watched the spell approach Sirius' body, even knowing there was no way they would make it to him in time.

But at the last second, even as she screamed out her fear and anger at the seemingly unavoidable event, Voldemort brought his own wand up and easily deflected the curse, then immediately spoke his own spell; one that to Arabella's ears seemed unusually long.

In what seemed like nearly the same instance, Sirius' body collapsed even as Arabella and Harry reached it, barely catching the crumbling form before it hit the pavement.

Tears running down her face, Arabella pulled Sirius tightly to her, daring anyone to try and harm him further.

But the people who were still anywhere nearby seemed to want nothing to do with the evolving scene as they continued to hurriedly clear the area.

Only one person dared to approach the three forms huddled together in the middle of the street.

Arel Trener.

"Now, you see." The man ask as he leaned down close to them. "Wasn't that easy?"

The voice may have been different, but Arabella had no trouble recognizing the eyes behind the stare.

Voldemort.

"You bastard." She whispered.

Voldemort pulled back up. "Such language." He tsked. "And after I've given you such a nice gift."

"What gift?!" She spat at him.

The dark lord directed his wand tip to the man in her arms. "Think, Arabella. What did everyone just see?"

"They saw one of your filthy Deatheaters try..."

"First off, no one here knew Trener was a Deatheater I'm willing to guess. He doesn't exactly advertise it in the Daily Prophet. And secondly, in all the choas, dear Arabella, all anyone will think they saw was a man killing the infamous Deatheater, Sirius Black." Voldemort pulled back up as a pop sounded close by. "Time for me to go, I think." He stated with a small smile. "We'll be meeting again, Arabella, I promise you."

Arabella watched as the man walked away a few feet and disapparated.

A few seconds or a few hours later, she wasn't sure, a hand wrapped itself over her shoulder.

"Arabella?"

Arabella turned to find herself facing Orion.

"What happened?" He ask quickly. "How is Sirius? Is he all...?"

Arabella immediately turned her attention to the man still wrapped tightly in her arms.

Oh magic! He had to be all right! He had to be alive!

"Sirius?!" She called. "Sirius? Are you all right?! Speak to me. Please!"

The body gave a soft moan and Arabella said a silent prayer of thanks that he at least seemed to be alive.

"Sirius?" Orion called to his younger brother. "Sirius, can you hear me? Come on. We have to get you out of here."

Orion helped Arabella to her feet as several other Aurors came over to assist. Among them, Orion gratefully acknowledged, was Orin Bale.

"Get these people back to the Ministry immediately." Orin called out to several of his own agents. "Have the medi-wizards check them over and we'll see if we can't get some questions answered after that."

Two agents came forward and took Sirius' still limp body from Arabella's grasp even as she tried to stop them. But Orion grabbed her hands and pulled her back.

"They'll take care of him, Arabella. He'll be perfectly safe with the Unspeakables, all right?"

Her fear only marginally quelled, Arabella gave a slow nod and allowed herself and Harry to be taken away as well without any further protest.

(--------------------------------------)

It wasn't until the following day that Orion, Arabella, and Harry were allowed to see Sirius. And the request came not from Dumbledore or the head of the medi-wizards on staff at the ministry, but from Orin Bale himself, who was waiting for them when they arrived at the Department's private medical wing, housed within a magically secured area of St. Andrew's hospital.

"Orin." Orion greeted his superior. "How is my brother doing? What have the doctors said?"

Nothing raised Orion's fears more than the fact that his superior's face remained completely expressionless as he regarded the three.

"Perhaps you'd best come see for yourself." He said, his tone as expressionless as his features.

Walking into the ward, Arabella and Harry followed closely behind Orion as Orin led them to a small room in the back. Orin paused briefly outside as he peered in the window, then carefully opened the door and directed the others inside.

"Mr. Black." The Unspeakables leader spoke up, getting the attention of the man in the bed. "You have visitors."

Sirius sat propped up in the bed, taking no notice of anyone in the room until he was addressed. Orion, Harry, and Arabella quickly approached the bed, the two wearing matching smiles while Orion fell to the same expressionless look of his superior as he studied his brother.

"Sirius?" Arabella quickly ask, taking his hand in her's. "How are you? Are you OK?"

The man in the bed nodded slightly, staring at her.

"Sirius, are you sure you're OK?" Harry ask, grabbing hold of Sirius' arm as he looked at his godfather. "Do they say when you can come home?"

This time Sirius didn't answer, but only fixed his stare on his godson as though he were desperately trying to think of something to say.

"Be a little more direct." Orin suggested. "Ask him something more personal."

Arabella and Harry both turned questioning stare to the man. But it was Orion who took up the suggestion.

"Sirius." He ask, fixing a stare on his brother from the end of the bed where he stood. "Sirius, who am I?"

The man in the bed scrutinized the newcomer for several seconds before giving up with a small shake of his head.

"I'm sorry." He replied in a low, strained voice. "I have no idea. I don't know you. I don't know any of you."

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Q&A

ilovesiriusblack:

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3 hours? It took me all day! Enough of that though and back to the story.  
Charley is one slippery weasel! I cant believe he managed to get away with it again!  
Hmm, where is Voldemort? I know the answers are coming in the next chapter but I am really wondering about it. I can't imagine that Voldemort has done the decent thing and got the hell out of padfoots body which leads me to believe that he must still be 'locked up' in Hogwarts, in which case Orion is playing a very dangerous game in spending the night with his wife. (Which was very cute by the way)as he could potentially walk in at any moment.  
Eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

I read very fast, Dear.

Now, now. Let's give poor Charly the benefit of the doubt, please. remember, he isn't doing this for himself. He's been in Heudros' service all these years to keep Orion safe. Nothing more.

True. Charly is riding the 'Good Luck' express right to the end of the line.

Voldemort is right where he's always been, Dear. Stuck in Sirius body. Well..., that was until tonight.

Ohhhhhh! Thank you! I'm glad someone liked that scene. Every now and then I have to stick something in that's just for PAR to have a little fun with. That's what that whole scene was about. Just me having a little fun.

Orion is indeed playing a very dangerous game. But it is motivated by nothing more than his love and devotion to his wife. The dream rattled him enough that he simply had to see for himself that she was all right. And since he was already there...well, Bo is an excellent babysitter.

Actually, Voldemort walking in on them could have been kind of cute. Potentially very bad, but cute.

Skahducky:

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Becca is going to have to become a part of society soon. I mean, she may be really powerful, but she'd probably be more comfortable living amongst other wizards, etc. What did she fear Orion would do if he saw her?  
So Voldemort's not going to leave Sirius' body yet? Well, he'll have to eventually, right? I hope he does it soon.  
Just a random question, you told me that you hadn't read the sixth book or most of the fifth. Do you have any plans to read them now that the seventh book is out?

Anyway, this is a great chapter. Please update soon!

Oh, I just love it when someone remembers that I don't put anything in my stories I didn't mean for to be there!

We'll go with the good question first, if you don't mind, Dear.

Why did Becca react to Orion react to Becca the way he did?

Mostly, because Becca is currently giving paranoia a bad name. She is way over the top when it comes to that particular emotion. But with good reason. I mean, look at her life so far. She has been betrayed big time by the people she considered her friends. She was befriended and helped by the people she thought of only as her enemies. She just learned she basically doesn't even exist, told to her by someone she is suppose to hate, while her one time friends have utterly abandon her into her enemies hands.

You'll just have to forgive the poor girl if at the moment she isn't sure who to trust.

But also, let's give her credit. She's a fast little learner as well. Look at her interaction with Charly. When she thought he had something she wanted (Heudros' location), she was more than willing to be friendly. Once she realized he didn't have what she wanted, she discarded him.

Now, back to Becca and society. (Poor society.) Becca will, possibly, one day have to function in society. But at what level? I mean, how much does Bo really interact with people? Basically, he hardly ever even leaves the house, except at Orion's summons. True, she would be more comfortable in the wizarding world, as that she is basically nothing more than magic given a physical form. But where she functions is really going to be completely secondary to whether or not she stays here at all, a point taken up in Family Ties.

All questions on Voldemort leaving Sirius' body were answered in this chapter (sort of).

Random questions are good, Dear.

I'm sorry to say that nothing in Book VII enticed me to want to go back and read Book VI or re-read Book V. When my favorite character was whacked off for what appeared to be little more than shock effect, I sort of lost interest in the series.

So, do I intend to go back and read Book V and VI? No.

Lee Swain:

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Excellent chapters, so Becca is going to find the man who used her huh? I feel sorry for him when she ( is it a she?) gets ahold of him.  
And book 7 was excellent took me about the same amount of time to read.

Indeed. Few people in the world would want to be Heudros right now. He is the sole and central target of a creature who, having always viewed killing as a lovely little problem solving tool, suddenly considers you...a 'problem'.

Poor Heudros.

Good question, Dear. Based on my point of view, Becca is absolutely female, based on the fact she is in an absolutely female body.

Gender questions are a little less concrete where our favorite boggart is concerned, although I would say it is safe to consider Bo male.

Hmmmmmm. Too each his own, I suppose. I just felt that Rowling basically took every possible ending the book could have (save one)...and used all of them!

MasterLupin:

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Long time no post on my part. Lot has happened since the last time. Poor Charly, he should have come clean, it will only be worse the longer he waits. Now concerning Bo, can't the kids boss him around and make him leave them at the house, as his is like a three year old. And if I was a three year old, if some 15 year old told me to leave them alone I would for however brief a time.

Indeed, Dear. I missed you. As will I miss your theories after this. I hope you will come back for my future stories, and at least for Family Ties.

That does seem to be the general consensus. Most people felt Charly missed the train to Truthsville this time around and it will not make the future any easier for him.

HA! Fat chance on so many levels, Dear.

First, 'the kids' are no Bo's keeper. If anything, he is theirs. Talon is Bo's host, and therefore first in line in the 'commanding Bo' department. Orion is next in line as Bo's Channeler. If anyone holds the number three spot, it would be a toss up between Orion's mother and his wife. After that, Bo is pretty much his own person and answers to no one.

Now, consider the situation. You are a three year old, and your parents have just told you not to leave the house under any circumstance, no matter what, until they say so. Then along comes this person you basically view as little more than a playmate and tells you to leave. Who are you going to be more worried about when it comes 'punishment time'?

And mind you, that goes for the 'orderer' as well as the 'orderee'.

Also, I never out and out said Bo 'is' a three year old. I have only indicated he appears to operate on a three year old level, have suggested such in stories, and given the general impression. (Ok, ok, so it's been a bit confusing.)

But I have also said that Bo has his own little set of secrets tucked neatly away that he keeps to himself for now. Whether or not he ever reveals any of them remains to be seen.

All Reviews are as of 07/29/2007.

And remember;

Your friends love you anyway.


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